I think that is part of it, and part is also copying a pattern that is appropriate in some situations into situations where it isn't. Meaning: I totally agree

I think that is part of it, and part is also copying a pattern that is appropriate in some situations into situations where it isn't. Meaning: I totally agree with the article that asking to ask is a complete waste of time on Internet forums, especially technical ones. Those intro questions usually go unanswered, as they should IMO. OTOH, what I thought the article might be about before I read it, is when people in RL say something like, "May I you ask a question?" before asking a potentially sensitive question. There are valid psychology reasons to do that in certain situations. It's common for people to mimic conversation patterns, mostly unconsciously. They can get copied into situations where it is just a waste of time.