But when I follow discussions about Cryptocurrencies, not just here but sources elsewhere as well, it is almost strictly treated as an asset. In fact, it borderline sounds like stock trading discussions. Why have these two diverged in this way?
it is mainly because you hang out in places where they are discussing the price. it also is because almost all of the altcoins are useless so the only thing people use them for is for speculation and profit-making. so there isn't much discussion left to be made about them, unfortunately.
if you look around there are discussions about the technology too. for instance check stackexchange website, it is filled with technical discussions/questions about bitcoin and other altcoins in their respective sections.