Why should one clean a chain?
A lot of people are now out of the habit of doing chain cleaning beyond wipe down level.

The reason to clean thoroughly is a marginal improvement in wear life and performance. But the key word is marginal. What you get for the effort is below the threshold of what many would consider worthwhile, especially riding recreationally.

Note that the expense level of your chain is a major factor here. It takes the same amount of time to clean a $13 basic 8-speed chain as it does an $60 Campy Record 11 chain, so clearly there's more economy in maximizing the service life of the latter.