I don't think programming is "just a hype". Nearly anything you use today has software onboard. Your car, your watch, your scale, your fridge, your light bulb, etc. Everything just for your convenience. Since people are lazy and like convenience and cool features, digital stuff with software is a necessity. This implicates that programming is a necessity because the software does not emerge from thin air.
We see a trend of digitalization. Everything has to be flashy and connected and bring in extravagant features as a sales argument.
I think, the world is moving into a digital age. That's not a hype, that's how the world rolls. For that movement, we need new hardware and more flexible and dynamic logic. We need software. We need more and more software. As a result, we need more programmers. Teaching people how to program and telling everyone they should learn is a means to make sure we have people who are interested in establishing that kind of new world and have the abilities to contribute. I mean, programmers have always been seen as nerds, the guys who sit in the cellar doing their thing. They don't have friends, they are pale and they are boring. At least, when I was young and watched TV, that's the image I perceived. So the industry wants to change that image in order to move forward.
Many people learn to program, even though they don't need it in their daily lives. Many don't even want to program as a hobby. But believe me, no matter what we are talking about, there will always be people who get things wrong or do unnecessary stuff. I learned an instrument because everyone told me that it's important to be able to read and make music. Is it a hype? I don't think so. Do I need it? No. Do I still play? Sometimes. I am able to play the piano, nevertheless. There are people who earn their living by playing an instrument, with new rock bands forming every day. Would anyone call it a hype? I wouldn't.