> Has the vibe really shifted so much among tech-literate people?

Yes.

Or more honestly, there was always an undercurrent of paternalistic thought and tech regulation from the Columbine Massacre days [0] to today.

Also for those of us who are younger (below 35) we grew up in an era where anonymized cyberbullying was normalized [1] and amongst whom support for regulating social media and the internet is stronger [2].

The reality is, younger Americans on both sides of the aisle now support a more expansive government, but for their party.

There is a second order impact of course, but most Americans (younger and older) don't realize that, and frankly, using the same kind of rhetoric from the Assange/Wikileaks, SOPA, and the GPG days just doesn't resonate and is out of touch.

Gen X Techno-libertarianism isn't counterculture anymore, it's the status quo. And the modern "tech-literate" uses GitHub, LinkedIn, Venmo, Discord, TikTok, Netflix, and other services that are already attached to their identity.

[0] - https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/02/weekinreview/the-nation-a...

[1] - https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/14/us/suicide-of-girl-after-...

[2] - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/09/why-young...