To me, the biggest difference is that people reacted as individuals or as two individuals interacting.
No one would send out a group email to talk about Bill Clinton and form some kind of group consensus opinion. I think the start of this though was conservative talk radio and the in-group that formed in relation to the "liberal" out-group it promoted. Before that people were individuals deciding their personal stance on an issue to issue basis.
There really should be no surprise that once 99% of interaction is in the context of a groups that everything becomes dominated by in-group and out-groups.
The conservative use of the pejorative "liberal" to form an out-group though was just so poisonous and set a process in motion that once started can't really be stopped. Then once social networks come about it was basically over for the individual.
Millions of individuals are impossible to control but groups no so much. So here we are and I don't see any reason for optimism other than to enjoy your life now.
The future is more and more suspicion and surveillance of the individual by the group.
No one would send out a group email to talk about Bill Clinton and form some kind of group consensus opinion. I think the start of this though was conservative talk radio and the in-group that formed in relation to the "liberal" out-group it promoted. Before that people were individuals deciding their personal stance on an issue to issue basis.
There really should be no surprise that once 99% of interaction is in the context of a groups that everything becomes dominated by in-group and out-groups.
The conservative use of the pejorative "liberal" to form an out-group though was just so poisonous and set a process in motion that once started can't really be stopped. Then once social networks come about it was basically over for the individual.
Millions of individuals are impossible to control but groups no so much. So here we are and I don't see any reason for optimism other than to enjoy your life now.
The future is more and more suspicion and surveillance of the individual by the group.