Hi! I just wanted to add that the Spanish RAE/ASALE is nowadays not too consistent when it comes to their descriptive/prescriptive mix. For example, in the new
Gramática, in the volume about phonetics and phonology, they almost never say "This should be like this". They pretty much limit themselves to describing what's out there and showing Praat sonograms. Only in a few places the book dares to say "This is like this and not like that", or "This always happens". It definitely seems to be a book written by committee that tries to please everyone. However, if you check out their
Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, they can be quite prescriptivist, even when it comes to pronunciation.
But yeah, of course I think the RAE has been key in our language not ending up split in several pieces. Especially when it comes to spelling. Spanish has near 100% uniform spelling, with very few exceptions such as video/vídeo. Also, the RAE seems to be always in the lookout for ways to make our language more efficient. For example, the most recent orthography got rid of some accent marks that were deemed unnecessary. Every time I'm writing and I have a doubt about proper usage, I check with the RAE/ASALE and with Fundeú.
Edit: I actually have another invaluable resource which I turn to whenever I have a doubt: My database of Netflix subtitles.
This way I can quickly check if the thing I'm trying to say is just an
ecuatorianismo or is something used worldwide. I've actually already gotten rid of some words/usage from my vocabulary that turned out to be just local usage, and not universal. For example, nowadays I never say carro, because that's just a regional word, while auto is understood worldwide. Same with guineo. I dropped it in favor of banana. Same with funda to refer to plastic bags. Now I say bolsa. I also ask other native speakers on Reddit and check WordReference when in doubt of how universal a term/expression is.