The most likely culprit for me is that a lot of gullible people weren't exposed to so many stupid ideas before internet which also gave them a quick and easy t

The most likely culprit for me is that a lot of gullible people weren't exposed to so many stupid ideas before internet which also gave them a quick and easy tool to share them (and therefore amplifying their reach), so their numbers can quickly increase and be louder than ever before in human history.