[clove]

I've seen this type of writing a lot, and I agree with you: It's an excuse to draw attention to the writer.

Anecdotes aren't bad if they lead into something more substantive. E.g., "My experience with my kids in Greece got me interested in [concept], and here is the data that I collected; my conclusion is that..."

But no, it's usually like: Check out this experience I had or quirky thing I do. Now let's talk about something tangentially related.

It's really a need to vent being displayed most prominently. Maybe covid/social media/WFM/inflation/whatever you want to blame has made people lonely to the point of trying to add water cooler talk into their publications.