Too little consideration of the role of religion.

I think all the chemicals, pollution, and radiation emitting devices are poisoning us much as lead did to Romans. This is what begins to happen as a result of desire and wealth (even a low level of it). I'd venture to say that it is the source of most (if not all) cancers and neurological problems. Neurosis we do on top of the pollution.

I see societies becoming increasingly fractured between those who are willing and able to assess data and situations rationally, and those who merely react out of ignorance and fear. That phenomenon is not just restricted to the USA, as it is happening in other parts of the world, including specifically Australia and Western Europe.

The problem with this theory it doesn't take into account numbers. There have always been conspiracy theories (maybe they weren't called that but the effect was the same). Even in 1918 there were those that refused to wear masks. Now our population is larger, by far, than ever and it is more diverse (read polarized) than ever. What else should one expect.

Mass hysteria is an interesting phenomenon to which people are prone. Just think back to the Salem witch trials, or even the accusations made toward pre-school teachers in the 1990s, who were accused of Satan-worshiping. I'm not sure what survival value it had when it first developed, but probably did serve to create an us-vs.-them mentality, which protected villages and clans. Now it does not serve us well, but we have not evolved past it.