A common reaction to this is probably something about how this is a reflection of the degradation of society and how the young people or today something-or-other. But being of a conspiratorial mindset and knowing the grand scale on which the world is run, I suspect there is something deeper.

I just can't get the thought out of my head that there is some small group somewhere that has been working for decades monitoring data and events related to this and subtly shaping trends and forces to bring about this very outcome, part of the larger goal of weakening and destabilizing society, and thusly making it easier to dominate.

I think conspiracy theorists are going to have make up a new term to deride and dismiss people like me who think dark forces are operating at the highest levels to shape our world, because "conspiracy theorist" is already taken.