I think a lot of this is because the convenient paperback has all but died. Once upon a time men would keep a technothriller or SF paperback handy to kill time on a plane, on the bus, during a lunch break, etc. Now that time (for Gen Z) is filled by phones and apps. They don't know the wonder of walking into a B. Dalton with one whole wall dedicated to nothing but genre magic. It's a gone thing.
What's also annoying is they republish old properties. Most of the fantasy and sci-fi I grew up with were new imprints of old novels. I was talking to a colleague at work, about half my age and he had no idea who Larry Niven was and thought Ringworlds were something the guys from Halo dreamed up. All these classic authors are fading from the collective memory.