Barely anyone understands this technology well, and so they listen to celebrity Bitcoiners that have a vested interest. It's also difficult to find the one good alternative project among is a sea of well-funded scams. Marketing is important. Real usage is also a niche activity compared to speculation at this stage
This is a good thing. We don't want Monero to get too popular just yet. Let the people who really need privacy find it while the politicians are still fixated on Bitcoin.