Ok on the age thing, my take is this. The party scene has never been more fragmented than it is right now, whether by the type of event/music, location, ambition or ethos. There's no 'rules' anymore (if there ever were..) so many adults of all ages have seen kids grow up or never had kids or who lost interest and then regained their mojo, whilst in other instances, they never actually stopped. I was with around 400 or so at the weekend, with ages ranging from around 9-68. It was predominantly people in their 40s-50s (ie my people) and not one of them would have stopped to consider "should I be doing this?" The point is nobody's judging or if they are, it says more about the judge. The older clued-up market is pretty discerning and really just wants good music, good vibes, good times. For me it was paradise, because there was no security, no need for security, no dickheads, no fences, no booth ego nonsense, and no shitty attitudes. Just a lot of very ecstatic, friendly people, DJs and families happily mingling without a care in the world.
Similarly in Ibiza, you gravitate towards what interests you. I think you eventually get to a point in your 40s where you narrow down the things you want into a 10 point list and everything else revolves around that. There is nothing for me to gravitate to in say SA. Call it age, snobbery, whatever you want, but finances aside I can think of no reason to be in that resort. The Ibiza places I champion on here year in year our are obviously pitched at people my age and more on the middle class/alternative/cosmopolitan side. I'm never gonna hang around in a massive pack of 'lads' because that's so not me at all in any way. And the older you are the less likely you are to be hanging around in huge groups. It makes no sense to me when people find they are fish out of water because it's pretty easy to research/find your preferred vibe. As you get older, the late bars and restaurants assume greater significance. For me it's as much about the old town as the more remote North or obscure calas. Approx 90% of clubbing stuff discussed on here means nothing to me so I don't go on most threads now. One attention-deprived Spotlighter occasionally sends me PMs because I ignore his anodyne posts, but life's too short. You identify exactly what you want out of holidays and anything else is superfluous.
When you get out of the tourist ghettos you quickly find out Ibiza is more diverse than it is given credit for. Because you have all these Spanish/ Catalan and - for better or worse - other European, UK and wider global influences all bringing something different to the table, Sure, I wish there was more psychedelia, deep house and options for wild camping. Obv I wish the trash (top and bottom end alike) would fck off. Obv I wish there was 2am dancing under the stars. Obv I wish I could use my intermediate Catalan in more places. Obv I wish greed didn't ruin everything, including the sacred local environment. But what can you do? Boycott - or adapt? Of course, if you're not been back since 1985, you might have a massive shock but I think that people who are able to overcome that will still find things they like, just not the free-for-all of the past. I think the more mature people on the forum are now wise to the dangers of massificación (over-tourism) and maybe a different form of tourism can be managed. I dunno. I just take the view that at 47, I've come to really respect the island, I don't preach at anyone and do hope that the things people like me really adore aren't all lost in the race to the bottom dollar.