It’s about respect for the other person, as I see it. You wouldn’t be a little miffed if your wife of 10 years sent you a “k thx bai (link to divorce papers)” instead of talking in person?

Right? The written word is its own kind of instrument and I dig it

It gives rhythm and flavor to your writing. Varied punctuation - where appropriate - is an easy way to spice anything up, give it a little more flavor, more control over how your words are read. There is a quote by Gary Provost that isn’t specifically about punctuation but illustrates this point well, it’s one of my favorites:

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important

Yes, it’s nuanced but it breaks up the sentence flow in a different way. Also used for listing things. A comma is more a small pause, like this. A semicolon is used to differentiate two independent related thoughts ; it’s kind of a combination between a period and a comma. A dash can be used for many things - a longer separating of thoughts, listing different points such as this, or just as an intentional emphasis to add a more protracted pause.

I know, and thank God they got rid of those things

Fake banana tastes disgusting but kiwi is delicious

I upvoted you for solidarity but strawberry is my favorite flavor so also how dare you

Had this issue recently.

“Vanilla is good.”

“What? No, chocolate is good.”

“Both can be good. There doesn’t have to be a competition.”

“NO! Either chocolate is good or you hate chocolate!”