There is no one anti-technology zeitgeist. Rather the phenomenon is a confluence of factors, some rooted in understandable self interest and others in ideological hubris. It's also the case that as Americans have grown older and wealthier, they have become more risk averse. Just as teenagers seek risk and excitement while their grandparents seek stability and security, a wealthy country will be more likely than a poor country to reject the very values and processes that created its wealth. Economic historian Joel Mokyr distinguishes technophobes who are victims and those who are ideologues.
Every technological advance creates both winners and losers.
On the whole, our ancestors became wealthier as electric lights replaced candles. But candle-makers nevertheless experiences hardship. One can hardly blame individuals whose way of life is threatened by advancing technology for doing everything possible to stop it. This is traditional Ludditism. The main threat to technological advancement, however, comes not from those who actually bear the brunt of the change, but the individuals who provide the intellectual air-cover for their complaints.