This are some cool thoughts on this subject @luzcypher! I too had gotten to the point where I believed the way people interact on youtube is the new normal.
When I learned about steemit I was shocked at the way people we're "fake nice", I actually read two or three posts about that very phenomenon. When I started interacting with people at first I did feel like it was a fake nice thing, but I still gave it some time and kept interacting and got to the same conclusion you did, people interact very similarly in here compared to the way the would if they were face to face. It's not fake nice, it's just civil and in most cases I have found it to be genuine, which makes me love this place even more hehe :)
I also agree with you, I hope our "fake niceness" makes assholes steer clear from the platform as we keep growing more and more! :)
I'm watching the whole interview now :)