Why this explosion of 1st person POV?

What is it with these younger writers today who feel they must do a novel in 1st person? Do they feel it makes a personal impact? Is it because the style is all the rage? Or is it sheer laziness of sticking with one character? I vote for the latter - actually a combination of copy-catting a style and laziness. After all, if you write like its your personal journal or diary why care about grammar? It's fast and easy to produce. Slap it together and put it up on Smashwords or Kindle or any e-book form. By staying in 1st person, the writer doesn't have to explore much past the main character's thoughts, emotions, observations and knowledge. It is also more forgiving in bad grammar. Oh, and some books switch POVs within the story and suddenly 1st person becomes third person narrative, and maybe a bit of omniscience thrown it. Please! Do they understand POVs? Has anyone instructed them about flow and pacing? Have they even taken a writing course?

The primary offenders are in the chicklit and young adult genres - at least the one's I've read and come across. It seems I can't pick up a book without seeing the words "I", "me" and "mine".  Frankly that is a big turn-off and I generally don't read past the first few pages, but I have muddled through a few.  Any traditional editor I send something like this to would have a field day and I wouldn't hear the end of it. Good editors would tear into this POV since a truly unique and well-written 1st person story is very hard to stay consistent, maintain a good pace and flow throughout. Only a handful of well-known authors attempted it and with the strong guidance of an editor. But now writers think nothing of it.

Somebody needs to put the brakes on with a strong dose of reality. A few writers may become popular among those of their ilk and niche, but not wide acceptance. Fewer still may have a good story, but the execution leaves much to be desire, at least for this old, experienced writer.