Eternal September began while you were still wet behind the ears. Still, it was tolerable. The real collapse was the big bang... theory. Seriously, the downfall of intellectual and/or nerdy hobbies ties directly with that show's rise in fame. Could be a coincidence of timing, but it seems clear that hiring a bunch of professional male models (fun fact, that) to portray "omg I'm so nerdy" as a popular and cool thing led to an influx into the hobby-types.

And that hobby-type gatekept things like the internet, which lets them spread their message wide, and also disability spheres, which are prime predation ground for the wokists.