Oh, you won't get any disagreement from me about what wedge has done. I am impressed and in favor of most of the stuff done here. I just thing that you are wrong about all those bells and whistles. Content is what matters, in the end. I go to a site or a page to read what is there...
Back in the 80s and 90s, some people decided, like you, that bells and whistles and animation and moving bits, etc were good. Those pages were trash... Absolute trash.
In the end, while a pretty site may get visitors, only a site with good content will keep them..., regardless of the "flashiness" of the site.
(and btw, I despise all the crap that Facebook forces on us)