I just thought of one reason why things have been shit post- popular internet: you can easily google a person's appearance. So, say some vain bitch hears a song they like, then they google what the artist looks like, and their ugliness makes her like the song a little less.
It's probably a major contribution to the influx in vanity in general, really. Some liberal faggot reads a book and before they form their opinion on it, or probably even before they read the book, they'll look up the author, and can find out if they're black, political beliefs, etc without any effort required. Back in the day you pick up a book, if the author's last name is "Jones" or some shit you have no idea of their race, and chances are you aren't going to look them up in an encyclopedia before you even read it.