Is it actually easier to publish in less-prestigious journals?

I'm a recent PhD in linguistics (apologies if anyone is upset by the Social Science tag), and am trying to focus on publishing with limited success. The process is taking forever, and since I'm an early career researcher with a temporary contract, I stand to gain from making this process faster and easier for myself.

My more experienced colleagues have mentioned that I may be having trouble with publishing by aiming too high, and that it might be quicker and easier to publish in less prestigious journals. In a way this makes sense: prestigious journals are more selective, therefore it should be harder to publish in them.

In practice, however, is this really the case? I've submitted manuscripts to journals five times (all fairly prestigious), and only once have received a desk reject. Once they get past the editor, they get sent out for review, which seems to be (or at least in my case is) the primary method of gatekeeping, and where most papers die at the hands of Reviewer 2.

But if it's the reviewers gatekeeping the papers rather than the editors, then how would it help to send a paper to a less prestigious journal? It seems like all journals send papers to the same pool of cranky naysayers who say "I agree with the premise but \[a bunch of nitpicking and bizarre expectations\], so reject".

I also find it unlikely that prestigious journals are sending papers to some secret pool of deluxe reviewers. I've reviewed for journals myself that had a range of prestige and have never once gotten the impression that I was supposed to take the journal's prestige into account. (No "this journal is chill so be nice" or "please roast this manuscript to defend our honor".) And the fact that I've been a reviewer at all for some of these journals is proof enough that there are no deluxe reviewers.

So what happens when you try again at a less prestigious journal? Do they actually have more lax reviewers? Or are you just pulling the same slot machine one more time for a less shiny prize?

(Also apologies if this is a stupid question. I'm a first-gen college student and have little to no research overlap with anyone in my current department so I am basically on my own research-wise.)