Increasing inequality driving unrest is an old and boring story. Historically elites pay a part of the population to suppress the rest, but that may no longer work, because the cultural/religious narrative of divine origin of a feudal lord and the associated hierarchical structure of society no longer exists, so suppressors would be better off simply taking the wealth for themselves.

Things would become very non-boring if technology were to enable elites to eternally shield themselves from the purge that usually follows when (or before) shit hits the fan, like in the movie Elysium where they live on a space station or via robot armies and total surveillance (getting there!). Mind control via distraction may not be feasible forever.

Oh wait, Peter "Tech Hitler" Thiel is working on this already: https://x.com/PalantirTech/status/1868024178047336543 (nominally for the US army, but he'll hold the keys I'm sure)