As you note at the end, human history is nothing if not a lesson in the build up of power and influence and eventual corrosion of the same. There's a cycle to t

As you note at the end, human history is nothing if not a lesson in the build up of power and influence and eventual corrosion of the same. There's a cycle to these things, and I think the great issue is that we've all begun to believe the futurists who imagine that technology can solve the problems inherent in human communities. Also worth noting that the vast majority of these doom and gloom prognostications are coming from media companies that don't actually have much to sell. As someone else pointed out, the world only needs a few BuzzFeeds and TechCrunches. The market is a harsh mistress.