I’m late to this discussion, but found it a really interesting topic to add my .02 to.
In addition to what many have said here – that technology is maturing – tech (specifically computing and internet connectivity) has largely been mainstreamed, and now plays a much larger role in directing and setting societal norms, and also dissects with and impacts culture. As such, those of us who take a strong interest in tech are now also having more discussions about the implications of having technologies that we’d invest hours into learning all of the specific quirks and features of now in the hands of millions of people with diverse interests, of which few are on the intricacies of the technology that they use.
For example, take the users of Microsoft PowerPoint for presenting information. A small group of them, who I’d call “enthusiasts” are probably aware of and take interest in learning the various features of PowerPoint and use them in their presentations in order to make them stand out from others. An even smaller group of “Pro users” have the same interest and skill level as enthusiasts, as well as having awareness of other pieces of software that can be used to create presentations, have compared their pros and cons, and probably find themselves being consulted when others have presentations they need done.
The largest cohort of users however, are those who use it for a specific purpose, and have little to no interest in learning more about it. Their presentations, in turn, are filled with problems that enthusiasts and pros can identify, but that most pay little, if any attention to. They believe it “works”.
Now, apply that example to the tech discussion. For “enthusiasts” and “pro users” that I’m sure make up most of TWiT’s audience, we probably find ourselves bored by discussions of smartphone features that focus on superfluous features such as color, size, or look. Tech “journalism” has also been overwhelmed these days (IMO) by influencers and marketing, meant to drive growth of the user base, instead of specialized knowledge of the use and utility of the technology tools.
So, like I said at the top of this post, technology discussions among enthusiasts and pros now intersect with those of larger society and culture. Issues of data privacy, economic impacts of technology, implications of the spread of mis- and dis- information now play larger roles in the discussions that take place on TWiT shows. I think it reflects not only a maturing of the industry, but also of the audience, and the network.
As a long time listener, I really appreciate that, and it keeps me connected to the network.