Having same set of actors in large number of different films made in relatively short time isn't exactly the new phenomenon. Classic Hollywood worked on those principles by having actors on contract. These days the phenomenon is simply more noticeable because of Internet and social media.
And it is even more noticeable outside Hollywood in smaller cinema industries, where the actual pool of talent is significantly smaller.
Yes, it’s certainly nothing new, but it has reached massive proportions due to the internet (and people's almost "morbid" desire to know about the cast's private lives).
Exploitation is everywhere.