It became the only reliable source of information I had. People posted links with a minimal amount of commentary, picking and choosing the best content from other social media networks. They’re not doing it to “build a brand” because that’s not a thing in the Fediverse. It’s too disjointed to be a place to build a newsletter subscription base.
Are you downvoting to disagree or are you downvoting because it’s not contributing to the conversation?
This question shows the inherent flaw with putting any value beyond the function of voting, which is just list ranking.
Some instances would say down voting at all is inherently flawed, and it is healthier to accomplish ranking by upvoting and moderation alone.