I don't think it's a big conspiracy. It's just the result of our fiat economy. Money is printed and devaluated, we got huge inflation and salary or not following, but still people and corporation expect everything to become cheaper thanks to technological advancement, so the market push for lower price at all cost. The cost is that we have cut all corners down to the simpliest design and manufacturing, with the lower cost material, and producing where the labor cost is the lowest. We just got what we ask for, I mean, what we can still afford.

In my area, if you want to buy a house, you basically by a land and got the house for free. Land for a basic family house can cost 800k to 1.2MUSD equivalent, and it's not even the nicest piece of land you can find. Then how much left do you have with a maximum morgage and a combined salary in the couple between 130 and 160k? No so much. So you will not put the extra 10, 20 50k to make it look fancy, you had no choice than going for the cheapest.
I mean, you are not forced to buy a house, you are still "free" to rent it for 5000k a month, or if oyu are poor, get a shitty appartement on the highway for 3000k.

Fix the money, fix the world. 

 Yep. It is the fiat mindset but other than that it is completely right. The system does not need creativity or free thinking. Most people in charge are just repeating what they have learned in the fiat system.