I have noticed this trend. I want you to consider if you have been a contributor.
There is this notion that we have given up on the idealism that seemed such a force in the early days of the Internet. It was the idea that we all had a voice or that we all were potential producers and not consumers. We have given up our independence for the convenience of Facebook (just one example).
This is the argument in “Program or be programmed” and in a recent post by Anil Dash (The web we lost) that prompted this comment. It may also be related to the notion that while we assume we have equal input into shaping political action it seems more and more that is the big money that prompts action and not individual voices.
There is some personal accomplishment in sending your own thoughts out into the ether and some satisfaction in reviewing the comments of others making the same effort. It takes a little effort, but the process is more satisfying that accepting the role of a sheep.