When did the public popcornification start?

it has certainly started before fortification, education and may be even before fornication and reincarnation! :D

perhaps it has started with ... "incentivizing Content" ?
although not sure, was it with appearance of Steemit or before it, with FB and other social networks? or perhaps even before that, with internet itself or even before that with TV?

well, yeah people love drama. and they get bored too easily. especially when market is Over Saturated with too much various "Content", Supply surpasses Demand by many times. thus to be original people come up with totally bizarre ideas of how to get attention of watchers / listeners. especially now ...

also people love do "piss contests", i.e. try to get easy and cheap recognition on account of others (or by "stepping on others' heads"). especially when it comes to getting more money, influence, power, followers, attention, "traffic" / exposure... :D

and finally, people love to ... EXTERNALIZE ! it's better and easier to focus on someone else - thus avoiding or ignoring what's going inside. thus that emotional instability, insecurity and other stuff already mentioned...