The kids seem to be using cellphones and gopros.
I promise this will my last response to this silly shit, but Edmund how many young photographers do you hire or even know?
Most don't own go pros, don't desire to only learn or use a dslr and actually have great hope and aspirations for a career in professional image making.
In fact most I know own a film camera and try to use it as much as possible and can afford.
You show tremendous disrespect to the beginning and accomplished professionals with your thought that photography is a democratic process (it's not) and anyone can do it well as long as they all use a device that fits in their back pocket.
I hate to break this to you but dumbing down the industry isn't going to happen. Major movies will not be shot with a go pro, or a 5d2 as a principle camera.
Major advertising campaigns will not be produced with a mobile phone at least not for another decade, unless your shooting a demo for Samsung or Apple.
There is nothing wrong with smaller devices, they have a place, some can be fun, but until you've graded thousands of hours of footage from all forms and sizes of devices, worked 10's of thousands still images in post production and participated in hundreds of creative briefs, most of your hypothesis is just random speculation. To what end I don't have a clue.
I think you should try a condom forum. That's probably more interesting.
IMO
BC