[kaoD]

I agree with sibling comments.

I'd also add that IRC nowadays is very different from what it used to be. If you removed bouncers channels would be mostly empty. That's why you often see silence.

Back in the days IRC had very vibrant communities. I'd say it's turning into nostalgia now.

[nullc]

You're probably making the mistake of joining communities that have been embrace-extended-extinguished by slack and matrix bridges.

Users on the attacking service get full access to IRC but also additional channels. For who don't mind the insane web bloatware it's simply the least friction path to abandon irc to participate.

In my experience communities that banned these bridges have remained vibrant and active.

[GekkePrutser]

This is a thing, yeah, unfortunately. Some channels have really awful bridges like the #calyxos channel on Libera that bridges to matrix but doesn't puppet its users. So all messages seem to come from the same user and you lack nick colours etc.

And indeed, it really thins out the discussions because not all channels are bridged usually.