Thats something entirely different though. Using votes to show disagreement/agreement makes sense as a tool of democratic communication. This goes for comments that contain statements.
OP describes a “jail” type of usage, where there is nothing to disagree but people downvote amyways (to feel superior maybe), wich sucks cause it reads like hate
The fight for hegemony is always a cultural one. Cultural workers positioning themselves in political conflicts, IS struggle for ethical-moral leadership. Here society fights out what interpretation of the social world is leading, and thus on the long run, which political alliance will be able to lead society.