I just watched the first episode of the new Futurama season and the running gag was their attempt to make fun of the Hulu streaming network (Fulu)… in the year 3023. Not only that, but they also parody Black Mirror which itself parodies Netfix (Streamberry) in their latest season.

Up front I’ll say I haven’t seen the new futurama or black mirror so I can’t speak directly to these examples, however …

What is up with all of this meta stuff?

On the very specific level of a new Futurama season, I might guess that they’re chasing the Rick and Morty meta success that happened while they were gone, which brings us to the next question:

Does anyone actually enjoy it?

I think in some cases the answer is fairly objectively yes. Rick and Morty is one of the high ratest comedies of recent years, as was Dan Harmon’s prior creation, Community, which are both quite defined by their metaness, as was Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, which won Best Picture and was widely beloved. However…

I think it’s lazy writing. … Is this really the quality of TV prior to AI taking over the writing?

I think you’re entirely correct here that in many many other instances it is lazy writing that quite often ruins itself or whatever it’s grafted onto.

The real satisfying answer that I think you’re looking for though is this one:

Why Do Movies Feel So Different Now? - Thomas Flight

It’s one rooted in cultural trends, and is what would be described as moving from the Post Modern age to whatever we call the post-Post Modern period (the video refers to it as the metamodern period).