Instant Knighthood and control of the BBC?

Sorry I wasn’t clear, I mean that some people (I assume) use downvotes just to mean “I don’t agree with the thing you said” rather than “this is extremely offensive/cruel/horrifically bigoted/spreading dangerous misinformation” etc - even on something really minor like “I prefer this tv programme to that one” or “I like this foodstuff made in this way”.

The downvotes also clearly seem to mean different things to different people.

Generally I think they’re just used for spam, extreme racism/homophobia etc, cruelty, bullying, or offensive content - but some people are clearly just chucking them around willy-nilly for very little reason.