I think it's something else (or perhaps I'm only elaborating on your point)--the proliferation of postmodern ideologies (e.g., progressivism) throughout our epistemological institutions (principally the media and the academy) which explicitly cast doubt on objectivity and put "lived experiences" (as though there is another kind) on par with empirical research. Progressivism often goes so far as to condemn objectivity (including math, physics, biology, etc) as "white supremacist", "racist", "patriarchal", or otherwise "problematic" (this is literally the textbook position on objectivity). This along with the secularization of America largely errodes our trust in the institutions which used to give us a common source of truth.

This gives license to all sorts of denialism and conspiracy theories--the right denies climate change, the left denies biological gender differences, and both sides have their anti-vaxxers and flat-earth theorists. Without common "truths" to counter our tribalist tendencies, we are being pulled toward extremes.