I feel this way too. I think you can still get access to a lot of the "conversational currency" by just checking it less frequently. Making highly curated lists helps a lot too, since you can isolate a lot of the more drama/entertainment-focused users to particular feeds.
It is an amazing source of information, but much of it is daily drama that is a form of entertainment -- a modern Jerry Springer.
These tweets and videos serve as a conversational currency of sorts. Not sure it's worth it.