I think your core message is completely true. But imho, probably this is what op is talking about with people yelling at their friend. Taking such a forceful stance will push those that are unsure away which is the exact opposite of what we need.
With that said, the fact that you just assumed their stance on politics from a generalised complaint of ‘my friend got yelled at’ is completely unfounded, unfair, and definitely will push away anyone who would consider themselves moderates. Baseless clames is literally how trump became elected and that’s not a good foundation for someone to get elected on
Settinging asside the likelyhood that many personal stories there are fantacy. There are just fewer people on this platform and probably the many new people from the last little bit are still testing the waters.
But primarily, I think nowadays people understand that if they put their data online anywhere, there is a chance someone could use it against them. Hence, people here are not doing it as much.