With respect to Lemmy and Reddit (don’t have much experience with other social media platforms), it often just comes down to the audience.
Some users and some subs are just so fragile and so propagandized that any tiny bit of resistance or any comment slightly against the standard is met with down votes and negativity.
On Reddit, I think my most down voted comment that’s coming to mind was in an environmental sub. Someone mentioned that they didn’t see any “bugs” around their outdoor lights the night prior even though those lights would have been covered in bugs when that person was a kid.
I acknowledged that I am fully aware that insect populations are in collapse/decline. However, what the person was witnessing wasn’t a fair comparison because it was currently winter time where they lived (which was obvious from their other comments) and because modern LED lights don’t produce as much heat or ultraviolet light (both things are highly attractive to nocturnal insects) as previous technology.
I think I got something like -342 on my comment within a day or two.
And honestly, at this point if you go to a local Democratic party meeting, see a bunch of protesters on the side of the road, or meet with the local liberal or progressive organization’s members – the majority of the most active members will be boomers in a huge portion of the country. Outside of the cities and/or the odd left-leaning rural area, young people don’t seem to get involved.
So, to blame the problems on just that generation but also all of that generation is just wrong.