Oh...
DR edisaurus - I'm not really sure where or when the "salted caramel" trend started, but it has been around for a couple of years. Actually, I believe it started by "accident" when someone used salted butter in a batch of caramels instead of (unsalted) sweet cream butter.
Some salted caramels are saltier than others. I actually don't like to taste the salt that distinctly - unless it's sea salt or gray salt sprinkled on top of a caramel-chocolate. I liken it more to adding salt to chocolate confections, where the salt actually helps to bring out the flavor of the chocolate without really adding any sort of saline note.
Basically, right now, I think "salted caramel" is a more of a buzz-word for "not as sweet", rather than anything else. So, just the right amount of "sweet" rather than "cloying".