I don't think it's particularly new, nor is it surprising given a general small-gov/libertarian ideology of the self-starter/hacker types that have always leane

I don't think it's particularly new, nor is it surprising given a general small-gov/libertarian ideology of the self-starter/hacker types that have always leaned towards self-regulation since the 80s and before. That said, yeah COVID and the associated lockdowns seemed to have been something that caused a lot of people to either reconsider this, or double down, which may be what you observed.