Form versus function

First: I was an early user of LOTW, FT8 and FT4 and still am a user.

Function = LOTW gives contact confirmation.
Form = Paper QSL cards gives contact confirmation with a personality

Function = FT8 and FT4 result in a contact
Form = Conversation modes result in a contact with a personality and exchange of thought

I am not much of a podcast listener, but it is nice to listen while on my walks. I heard one podcast the other day whose guest was saying how ham radio brings people from around the country and world together while at the same time saying how exciting FT8 is. I could not reconcile the two statements.