It's not only zeitgeist, but it's also that the community has deteriorated. My personal recommendations:
a) Poopsock the hell at the start of a season/expansion, to stay ahead of the curve away from the mouthbreathing masses--and hope to god you have a meta spec
b) Find likeminded individuals to play with. But this requires commitment and personal investment in other people
If you're not willing to do b) then you can't complain if everyone else treats you like an easily replaceable bot/NPC to further their own goals. This is the current state of the WoW "community".
There is a hidden third option:
c) become a twitch streamer and get carried in a parasocial relationship with your viewers. Doesn't have to be Asmongold level of fame, but you get the point.