The manufactured consensus of the mass media had some terrible failure modes. Perhaps it wasn't worth it. But it had a nice positive externality in creating a

The manufactured consensus of the mass media had some terrible failure modes. Perhaps it wasn't worth it. But it had a nice positive externality in creating a shared reality for people who otherwise didn't have much in common. We can all watch the landscape shatter into pocket, subcultural realities, and the fear of the other and general distrust is palpable. People are falling back on the old stalwarts: common ancestry and/or religious conviction. That, too, has advantages, but it comes with severe downsides.