It'd be good not to overgeneralize. For as long as we've been doing digital video, and then later, digital photography, there have been as many folks trying to minimize noise as trying to eliminate noise as trying to simulate noise as intentionally exploiting noise. Noise as a thing was never the problem, it was always about whether there was too much of it.
Exactly. Noise adds texture - which is an important ingredient in visual art and design. But too much noise obstructs the image. It's all about balance – just like cooking.
