When desktop publishing was in its infancy in the 1980's, designers were obsessed with kerning (changing individual letter spacing) because you couldn't do it. The software just wasn't sophisticated enough. Then, as soon as DTP software like Xpress gained letterspacing controls, designers started kerning with abandon. Take a look at documents from the early 90's and you'll see that smashed-together headline look over and over.
The whole kerning episode reminds me a lot of depth of field in video. Videographers are obsessed with DOF because current image sensors are small making it difficult to blur out backgrounds. Redrock and other companies even offer quirky bigger-than-the-camera rigs that enable you to mount standard 35mm lenses on your camera to better control DOF. (One weird side effect: the viewfinder monitors upside down!). It seems odd to think that Greg Toland once gained acclaim for having everything in sharp focus. Anyway, once cameras make it easier to achieve DOF effects I suspect that we'll see rack focuses and blurry backgrounds in abundance. Then after a few years, things will go back to normal.
(written and posted at the car wash)
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