Has society peaked?

I ask because negativity seems rampant. Before you jump down my throat with topics like inflation, gas prices, and rent, hear me out- this isn’t even about those things! It’s about entertainment and fandom.

Growing up, there was a time when you could look forward to something before its release. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the premiere of Here To Stay by KoRn on the radio. It had been a three year wait, and I was ecstatic! I remember swaying like a toddler in my room, approximately one foot away from my entertainment center. The same feeling applied to films. I remember a time when we would rush to the theater to see a new movie so we could experience it and talk about it with our friends.

Now, we rush to the theater because we don’t want its secrets to be spoiled prematurely.

This is the sad reality of a post-internet world. Information is at our fingertips, but it is also used against us. There are people out there, and you know who you are, who just want to get reactions out of others. You want everyone else to feel the same frustration or anger that you feel inside. An easy way to achieve this is social media- to ruin the plot of a new movie, or even just blast it to pieces with unfounded criticism- often before release. What does this accomplish? Nothing but a cheap feeling of satisfaction that wears off in SECONDS. Apparently, some confuse cynicism as being some sort of personality trait. It's not.

The truth is, there's a mental health crisis. As it turns out, we're exposed to too much information. We are pumped full of news, politics, influencers, and ads. Our brains can't handle all of this. Yet we continue to consume. Now, though, there's so much to consume...and little time to really digest. Suddenly, opinions are out of our mouths and fingers quicker than it takes to say "hypocrite." We've become a reactionary society, and media companies have picked up on this. That's why they emblazon their articles with inflammatory headlines. It's not about journalism anymore, it's about emotions. Anger produces clicks. Clicks produce revenue. As for the articles, they might as well be empty. Few take the time to read them. It's probably for the best, as the media companies are concerned. The articles themselves are slapped together like a college student's thesis at 4:00 in the morning. Mainstream media outlets have lost their integrity. They put money before everything, including their own country. Division sells, and distrust drives division. (Say that ten times fast).

Back to the matter at hand. We're too quick to form opinions. Too quick to lose interest. Too quick to tear down others. Too quick to assume any given art form has been "ruined," or "tainted by an agenda being pushed." A franchise's worst enemy is its own fanbase. I think society peaked in 2007 when we gained the power of the internet in the palms of our hands. Since then, we've become entitled. We expect greatness, but we do not give it a chance. There's too much competition for our attention. We consume, but maybe we need to relearn how to digest.