I wager its a western thing as western civilizations were full of explorers who made big names for themselves by "contacting" alien civilizations and bringing b

I wager its a western thing as western civilizations were full of explorers who made big names for themselves by "contacting" alien civilizations and bringing back artifacts and stories. Then technology began shrinking the world, first eliminating the unknown here on the surface then further shrank in the emerging field of astronomy. With nothing left to explore and the realization that we're a small spec in a vast, cold universe, what's left? Alien invasion stories are just the other side of the great tales of discovery and conquest by the Magellan's and Columbus's of the universe. And aliens are no different than other superstitions and monsters such the chupacabra or yeti. It's all cultural influence.