Yes, I think the advances in technology do have a lot to do with the current popularity of and emphasis on the quilting stage of quiltmaking. The difference I see is that now the sky's the limit where the act of quilting is concerned. Amazingly elaborate quilting, which would be impractical from a hand quilting standpoint, or perhaps even from a DSM machine quilting standpoint, is now within everyone's reach because of the stand up machines. So I think it's natural that some people would gravitate to that as a new skill to acquire, and reach for new levels of artistry, and the impact of that would be seen in the quilt shows.
I think of the quilting stage of quiltmaking as a practical, utilitarian step necessary to turn a top into something that can be used and enjoyed. This is not to say that it can't be beautiful, but in my mind, the quilting is in service to the goal of creating a quilt. Or in other words, I piece a top because I want to end up with a quilt, and the way to get there is to quilt it. I don't piece a top because I want something to practice the art of quilting on.
I just love the look of hand quilting. The thing I like less about machine quilting (and I'm learning to machine quilt myself, because I know I can't finish all the quilts I would like if I stick to hand quilting), is that it doesn't have the lightness of hand quilting. There's twice as much thread being used, and there are no spaces between the stitches, which give such a unique effect. So heavily quilted machine quilted quilts, which are certainly the current trend, don't appeal to me personally the way elaborately hand quilted quilts do, although I am totally in awe of the skill level being demonstrated.