Comment by theptip

I do agree there is a sense in which this has always been true. But most people’s constructed worlds overlapped quite significantly up until now; it was necessary for survival.

I think that condition is weakening. Just look at how wealth affects people; If 99% of your interlocutors are sycophants, you lose grip on reality. There is a very clear and dangerous attractor state where everyone gets this, thinking that they want it.