I'm not really standing on any "high up" rungs of the ladder, but I think everything adds up. There are really 2 problems; the marketing/illusion of 'futurism', and the value-based compensation incentive for employees.

The first bit is easy; the illusion of 'improving' technology is almost always marketing-based. Sometimes real technical innovation happens, but the layperson never usually hears about it. Most of the time, you're being conned into someone else's golden handcuffs or lock-in ecosystem. The futuristic ideal of having everything "just work" is made impossible because of industry-wide hostility and a lack of regulation.

The other side requires a bit of empathy for psychopaths; there are people who will do anything for a higher pay-grade. The root of this is capitalism; material wealth makes people feel big, so big jobs can be a salve for the oppressed, paranoid or narcissistic. At the end of the day, it's just human greed that drives that ugly wheel, both justified and unjustified.

So... there is no satisfying answer. People with power create an illusion of personal progress that really just adds up to their personal enrichment. Vulnerable people like you and me play their game, without knowing or caring what it adds up to.