I don't think mainstream is the right word to describe the attention bitcoin has been getting the last couple of weeks (maybe even a month by now). People reading up on bitcoin and mainstream adoption and usage is still a pretty big gap to be fair.
Mainstream attention is quite accurate I feel, if wiki is the benchmark for the most looked at reference source. So's the coverage my mainstream media, which is pretty self descriptive. But I definitely agree, not to be confused with mainstream use and adoption. And that includes so-called Bitcoin-accepting merchants, Bitcoin future traders and Bitcoin investors... very few of whom actually own a wallet, much less own and use Bitcoin itself.
I've encountered people talking about bitcoin as well (in the gym to be specific) about 2 weeks ago when bitcoin just hit $10,000 on most exchanges. If I recall correctly they were talking about someone they know who made a lot of money off of bitcoin, can't recall if they we're going to make the plunge and get in on the fun though. However even though I don' think the bigger public will start investing yet. Right now a lot of people have been made aware of bitcoin (and more importantly its price, atleast in their eyes because I'm sure the majority of them couldn't be bothered about the underlying technology), but I think not alot of them will invest just yet. Only when bitcoin hits another milestone all time high (maybe $30,000 or $50,000) and the FOMO starts kicking in, they will all be looking to buy whatever they can get.
I've only been getting the questions in the past two months or so, and yes, thanks to almost daily coverage by networks like BBC and even regional newspapers. The ones who are making major moves are the upper-middle class, those who have quite a tidy sum stashed away, but not quite wealthy enough to own mansions. The ones I know closest already bought several Bitcoins at around the 7-10k mark, and right after doing so, the contact with me died down again. Haha.
The bigger public, at least in my region, will be psychologically restrained to invest, given that 1 Bitcoin is worth more than what most people will earn in five years. I guess even investing in 0.2 BTC (a year's wages) is still a tough thing to swallow, not to mention to steep learning curve. But sure, when those who did cough up to buy fractions of BTC and find it becomes worth tens of thousands, then the mentality will switch.