dude that's every year. I am specifically referring to something which did not happen between '22 and '23 but did happen between '23 and '24. I don't know if you actually bothered to read the article in the OP but there's a graph showing a major inflection point.

I don't think so. Something very particular happened that year, financially. That was the year the covid stimulus haze wore off and everyone started talking about inflation and grocery prices and layoffs, was it not?

I guess my full theory would be "that, plus political disenchantment". Which you could say happens every year, but no, it was especially bad that year: Trumpism coming back for real; plus Israel-Palestine and the backlash in the US when everyone realized the Democratic party was going to be completely sold out regarding it; plus everything with Biden being senile and everyone knowing it. It's the year everything started to feel truly hopeless.