Sure, but that didn't hit a lot of small hobby subreddits until recently. But the discussion culture there had already declined starting a decade ago, and it was ordinary subreddit denizens and their phones to blame, not bots or geopolitical intrigues.

all it takes for a sub to be good is a blanket ban on activism. if there is no "NO POLITICS" in the rules, or the rule isn't enforced, then every sub -- no matter how small -- will inevitably be subjected to public opinion campaigns.