I do agree it feels different but there is still a lot of interesting and exciting tech innovation. OP is about the same age as me so my list will be from my lifetime.

* Lithium batteries. They are one of the most important innovations of our generation. They are so much better than NiCads and lead acid batteries. Much of today's important tech, like mobile phones, wouldn't be possible without them.

* Solar panels went from a novelty to something that we can put on our homes with a positive ROI in a short time.

* EVs. If you haven't been in one go take a test drive. The prices are still too high, at least in the US, but Chinese innovation are pushing that down.

* Driving automation such as radar cruise, lane assist, and other autonomous driving features.

* Digital media, streaming or self hosted. Yes streaming services peaked 10+ years ago but the innovation is there. Having a small server in a closet hosting hundreds of 4k videos is quite an innovation compared to VHS.

* Home automation. It was previously limited to wired devices for the rich. Now anyone can put together complex self-hosted home automation with inexpensive Zigbee/ZWave devices and a Raspberry Pi hosting Home Assistant.

* Hobby electronics have become far more accessible and inexpensive. Arduino, raspberry pi, etc.

* SDRs radically changed radio technology.

* FDM/3D printing.

* Other CNC manufacturing became accessible to hobbyists.

* Bluetooth

* WiFi

* Progress in machine learning / AI, invention of LLMs