I’d imagine the hollowing-out of local IRL communities is a major contributor. Fifty years ago you would have gotten companionship and (what at the time passed

I’d imagine the hollowing-out of local IRL communities is a major contributor. Fifty years ago you would have gotten companionship and (what at the time passed for) emotional support from your church, or the local rotary club, or similar. We’ve witnessed an enormous hollowing-out of local support networks over the last decade or two for a wide variety of reasons; it makes sense that people would seek an alternative wherever they can.