Is not that we should have a conformity of views or opinions, but that the basis or foundations that lend themselves to a cohesive social structure are now fraying and, instead of generally uplifting and expanding a consensual knowledge-base, the plethora of information available has a tendency to accelerate a dissolution of societal commonality.
Now, I am not suggesting that there has ever been a complete agreement on such abstractions like "society" or "culture" as we understand them, but even the means by which people have tended to debate and disagree about fundamentals appears to be in an increasingly chaotic state.
That may all be a matter of cyclic constructs based on a dualism of dynamic waves that result in the emergent behavior we then observe in various contexts. What may be contributing to that, in this phase of the information age, is the sheer volume of data that is available and how willing people are to investigate or carefully analyze it without resorting to their own confirmation biases. Left alone, it can be unsorted bits of white noise and we might be prone to various methods of insulating ourselves from the sheer volume and complexity of the zeitgeist as it increases and expands.
I do think that emotional and intellectual maturity come into play here, but they are not the only factors involved. Willingness, time, energy, education and other factors play into it. We also require responsibility, (as in, the ability to respond) as well as adaptability in dealing with a rather dramatic and accelerating Tsunami of change now.
To me, that will be a matter of time and perhaps, if the environment holds out, succeeding generations will be able to come to terms with it by way of immersion and exposure from childhood. Many of us older folks began our development in a different context. However, I do have some optimism for that because our fitness tends to rely on our ability to adapt over time.
Currently, there is a concern that needs to be addressed in regards to our social and community interests in relation to the mal-adaptations that social media and digital devices have had on connections and consensus overall. To me, not only is that symbolic and indicative of the end of the past centuries' emphasis on "self", but it is also an important aspect of where we need to look and begin to recover from the current tendency to compartmentalize, retrogress into digital forms of tribalism and celebrate alienation and cults of opinion.
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