@drewdevault Depends, IMO twitch has a problem with discoverability of the small but good streamers, heavily promotes just by number of viewers. It takes time to find small streamers where the chances of finding a good community is higher. Paying a visit to high profile streamers is worth for the experience how bad it actually is, so I partially agree with you. I've found several local streamers and it's mostly about having fun on the background of games, chatting or just streaming work.
Trolls or other disruptors haven't been a problem, either get called out or banned if it's beyond bearable. Bits and subscribes support the entertainment and encourage the people to continue. Sometimes it's a compensation for a costly joke or entertainment that needs some equipment.
One particular thing that helped me to filter out what I don't want to see in the recommended or 'people also watch' is the 'Not interested' option - hard to find and only available on the main page if the stream is on.
Twitch by default pushes users to its dark side and I've definitelly seen what you describe, but it is possible to find the bright side too.