People should have cared more when it was discovered that the previous administration colluded with the major social media companies to ban individuals that had a counter-narrative to the government and political rivals, which altered the outcome of our elections.

This is the definition of fascism, and it was just brushed under the carpet by the tech community.

You're distorting pretty hard about what happened there (mister random numbered throwaway account) but even if you weren't, that is not the definition of fascism.

Everything that happened during the pandemic period is an embarrassment most would like to forget. The authoritarians however remember everything and see how little friction there is against them expanding their power, especially if they can wrap it up in a threat.