Or it could mean a much more dynamic, integrated content management approach driven by data gathered through prospects' self-reporting and inferred behaviors. True, there were bugs in the old version, but since it was smaller, there weren't as many. Besides, you at least knew what the bugs were. By placing related items in close proximity, and ordering them according to their logical priority and interdependencies, the layout can use spatial relationships to reflect semantic relationships. While they are leaders because they tend to cater to individuals, they nevertheless control the perceptions of many people.
Good design is dictated by commercial success, profits, and growth.
The standards are not set by people but by companies that succeed. I suppose the answers depend on the goals of the site and what users actually need. But, the trend disturbs me. While consistency is good in general, if it is driven by greed, I worry. Not so fast.