It seems like there are some obvious factors in popular media that caused it to pick up steam in the '70s and '80s, but by the '00s the fear that devil worshipers are everywhere and responsible for everything seems to have abruptly disappeared, and I've never seen an explanation for why that was. What factors do modern historians think influenced the shift?
Hi, I'm not sure whether or not this will be an issue for this post, but FYI, this subreddit has a rule against discussing "current events", which we define as any events/conditions within the last 20 years. So, if this "satanic panic" existed as late as 1996, factors causing it to end cannot be properly addressed here. OP, if you suspect this to be the case, do consider x-posting elsewhere.