I've lived in several countries in 3 continents now, and the more I get to
know different peoples, the more I feel we're all the same—albeit stuck in these almost kaleidoscopic ways of outwardly displaying the very same humanity.
Perhaps OP got fixated on the collective differences instead of seeing through them. Perhaps.
Similar story here. Bought a Kobo Libra half a year ago, after more than ten years using Kindles.
I chose this Kobo for its bigger screen, as well as hackability. It was cheaper than a corresponding Kindle. Also, I knew I could easily install Koreader [1] in it, pretty much the only UI I have been using for many years now. I'm glad I did.
However, and this is important. Though happy with this Kobo, truth is that it feels cheaper. I keep it on a good case, and I use it with care, as I'm pretty sure it won't survive any fall from whatever height I may drop it. And my previous Kindle, a paperwhite 4, had its tumbles, and survived them quite nicely. And not exactly because I was fortunate. So there's that.
But don't get me wrong. I'm not Kindle-nostalgic. I just have enough experience with both to know what I can reasonably expect from my current device.
Funny, but I do exactly the same. My source, however, is Telegram's channel @hacker_news_feed. As you said, the signal-to-noise ratio hits that sweet spot that keeps me out of HN's front page for a long time.
Stress quotes. That is just one of the possible devices to achieve that.
I see a lot of that here, people misunderstanding basic speech/writing conventions. Maybe giving the op the benefit of doubt, assuming s/he knows what s/he is doing, can help avoid some of those.