To paraphrase Lucy Kellaway, it's very silly to apply a term which until very recently has been used to describe deepest intimacy and suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross, to describe something most of us wouldn't do unless we were paid for it.
HN literally seems like the general sentiment has shifted to the opposite of what it used to be a decade ago. What happened?
My take: gradual shift in user base especially since HN has gotten more popular, not to mention just a difference in zeitgeist. This implies the old guard have changed how they communicate or use the site as well. So just the same as anywhere else.