You said in reference to seeing them in person that " ... they are actually saying something a lot more meaningful."
This calls into doubt our perception in a way that reflects more of their persona than the content of their words.
Distracted by five times five dodgy senses or not, I still know the difference.
Correct, I did say that they are saying something a lot more meaningful. Why? They can actually (a) target their audience (b) know its less likely to enter the media and (c) are not going to be censored/moderated by the media. Plus there are little or no other distractions.
However you do have body language to go on too which does allow most people to better judge the honesty in what they are saying. You also the get the bonus of them being more easily being able to highlight the key points, meaning you can spend more energy and effort considering the complexities.
Why else would people often pay £100's and travelling a long way to see someone, when they could listen to a cassette or watch a video? Because the benefits are very real.