They don’t understand fandom or social media. They think that people talking about the show is good even if people find it extremely problematic. The majority of the actors are in their late 30s. I think there is a generational divide here.
I think it’s probably part generational, part ideological. This isn’t just about social media use, it’s about what people get upset about, and whether the show runners can actually take the criticism seriously without immediately getting defensive or dismissing the critique (which A&E can’t). It seems that A&E genuinely think that what they’re writing is “feminist” by virtue of having female protagonists, and giving them occasionally “sassy” dialogue lines. And get totally pissed off when their audience suggests that well, guys, maybe that’s not quite enough anymore.