This wasn't hidden at all. This isn't some mysterious phenomenon, it's a function of going mass market. _Everything_ that becomes universally popular provides s

This wasn't hidden at all. This isn't some mysterious phenomenon, it's a function of going mass market. _Everything_ that becomes universally popular provides such a huge incentive to monetize that the stable equilibrium is exactly this. You can see it very clearly on the consumer side: in the 90s and 00s,"kid who spends time on the internet" was practically a subculture. Now, it's just the culture.