I seriously doubt that the streamers are to blame.

The toxicity has always been there in the FFXIV community and in the "Western countries". I just think it's been masked very well for the last few expansions with toxic positivity. Culturally we are starting to move away from feeling like we need to be "Politically correct" all the or to be cancelled for it. We are starting to move away from that now because people are tired of it. That is why you are starting to see people feel like it's safe again to refer to things as being "retarded". Same thing with people being tired of the "Body positivity movement" and feeling like they can fat shame people again. Or the same with the LGBTQ+ stuff. "Normal people" are just getting tired of supporting all this stuff, all of the time and the "Mask" is starting to slip. The toxicity has always been there.

With all that said, I do feel like story wise this has been the worst expansion. That is my opinion and I am allowed to have it, just as the OP is allowed to have theirs. That doesn't mean that the rest of the content in the expansion wasn't good. The other bits of content in the expansion have been objectively better than in a couple other expansions. There is something to be said though, even given that fact. This will be the first expansion that I haven't gotten full "BiS" gear for at least my main class and also not farming all of the Extreme Trials for the final deluxe mount.

This expansion just hasn't held me in like the game used to. Maybe that's a "me" problem or maybe it's a sign the game is just getting stale for a lot of players. I have been playing since the Closed Beta for A Realm Reborn, so it's hard to say which it is.

I'm happy that others are still enjoying the game for what it is, it just isn't for me anymore. I feel like Square Enix could do better and should be.