I don’t agree with this position. There is a place for administrators to shape the place they want to build for the world and have it be differentiated from other places.
As a thought experiment: HN could turn into a TikTok clone and it would be wildly popular. It will be decided by the users, but the user base will be 100% different. And the world would have lost a unique place for yet another clone.
So I appreciate it when the site owners are opinionated and proactive about maintaining this space.
As a strictly text-only medium that would be difficult.
That's why I vastly prefer text-only media. Email lists (without attachments), Usenet, or even forums that only do text. The written word requires more effort than just posting pics so quality is almost inevitably better.
And in tandem, the guidelines grow with the community to reinforce behaviour that's seen to be fruitful and disincentivise behaviour that's derailing.