I think younger dudes are always gonna be into clouds just for the competitive aspect of it. What that says about them psychologically, I'm not even gonna touch on. I think that's just how some people are wired. Some folks just like to push things to the limit with their hobbies. There's a crowd like that for every hobby. If only for that reason alone, cloud-chasing will never be a passing fad in vaping. What will be constantly growing and changing is how people get their clouds. There is a rather large subsection of vapers to whom cloud-chasing will never stop being fun. They're always going to put a lot of time and effort into their chases. It's a source of pride for them because they put a lot of time and effort into it.
And then, there will probably always be new vapers wanting to chuck clouds simply because the whole concept is completely foreign to them. It's exciting and fascinating to learn about. There's an almost mystical quality to the aesthetic of it. It's definitely ridiculous, but if somebody quits smoking because they want to learn to toss the biggest clouds ever, then that's not exactly a bad thing, though whether or not it's in good taste is up for debate. I maintain that if it's something that keeps them into vaping for long enough to fully make the switch, then more power to them.
I dunno, what I think some of yall are seeing as a declining interest in cloud-chasing is actually more a sign of its normalization within vaping culture. Cloud-chasing isn't going away. It just isn't new anymore, so people who don't do it don't care as much about it. That doesn't mean that it doesn't continue to hold a certain charm for certain groups.
Personally, I've found myself caring less about vapor production and more about things like temperature, draw, texture, and flavor over the years. But I still run setups that produce a lot of vapor. I have for a long time, now. It just turns out that's the kind of vape I really enjoy, so that's what I gravitate towards. I like a loose, deep draw with lots of chewy, warm, and tasty vapor. I like to exhale very slowly and savor it. My default setup is a shorty RDA fitted with dual claptons on a series mod. The large amounts of vapor that this type of set-up puts off are an afterthought for me. I like it for the specific qualities of the vape, not the amount of vapor it puts off. I don't sit and think to myself how I'm going to maximize vapor production. It just sort of works out that way. I don't see that changing any time soon.
As far as clouds in public go, I think we all ought to try to be considerate. Most people don't care about your clouds - they don't want stuff you're expelling from your internal organs in their faces. My philosophy is that if it would be rude to smoke there, then its even more rude to fog-out there. I don't recall having trouble waiting for the right opportunity to light up a smoke. I don't see why vaping should be any different. Perhaps more cloud-chasers than we would expect operate like this and that is why you guys are seeing less of it in public. They can't all be rude, bro-magnun types, you know?