Like it or not, this is the curse of modern media and, in particular, social media (including Lemmy). Boring details don’t get clicks or upvotes. Hype does. If you spend much time being exposed to one sensational headline, article or discourse after another, you’re going to have a much different view of the world than those who don’t.

If you don’t believe me, walk away from internet media and cable news networks for two weeks. I guarantee you’ll notice some change in your perspective and, possibly, an even see improvement in your overall mental health.

I'd say this comes down to people being less involved in their local communities. In an advanced economy, people work specialized jobs and use the money they earn to buy whatever they need. While this is efficient, it's not a great way to get to know your neighbours. Communities don't come together to raise a barn, a farmer just hires a construction company to do that.

There isn't really an incentive to make friends with the people around you, since it's not like being everyone's favourite will pay for your rent or groceries! It seems to me like the more pressure there is to make money, the less incentive there is to make friends.

Old person here: No, people have always been like this. Honestly, there's always some sort of fear about the world ending: Nuclear war, terrorist attacks, active shootings, climate disasters, etc.

The world isn't going to end any time soon, it's just going to change. Though humans may or may not be around for the rest of the ride in the long run, that will be well after you and I are gone.

I'll tell you a secret, it has always felt like the end of the world is coming. It's been a constant throughout history. People will always look around and say "well this whole thing is all going to hell". This will never change and it has more to do with individual human psychology than the state of society.

The world has been ending my entire life LOL, it's a never ending shit show. Always has been, always will be. The only thing that's changed is we carry a device in our pockets enabling us to obsess over it 24/7 now. I'm not saying it's not worth paying attention to issues, just don't let it get to you. We are aware of everything at all times now but our ability to affect things stays the same for most of us and that fosters hopelessness.

I agree with your observations in general. I think everyone's behavior is less tied to the whole end of the world thing and just a demonstration of how late stage capitalism has dissolved so many social structures that general social cohesion is starting to unravel.

It must be a localised thing because I am not seeing any of what you describe where I live.

Things are back to the way they were before covid.

No better but certainly no worse.

There is tonnes of doom and gloom online but I see little to none of it talking to the people in the community around me.

Don't look up. Or down. Or anywhere really.

We're a few years into the 6th mass extinction event in this planets multi-billion year history.

I'm surprised the roads are still drivable and I still have to work lol. Waiting for the big Cracks to show.

It feels more like Idiocracy is the new reality, more than it feels like the end of the world. Though I suppose the end of the world would be pretty nigh if everyone was a drooling idiot and still had access to nukes and was still polluting the planet. 🤔

end of the world

You need a different way of thinking.

You are leaning towards something like fatalism or cynicism, but these attitudes are never helpful (only for your feeling, if you like to feel superior even if you are not).

election frauds / riots / etc in the US, global warming / severe weather increasing, capitalism

Problems getting worse indicate that mankind is getting worse. Technology cannot fix it. Man needs to get fixed.

You mean the guy who almost crashed into my car because he wouldn't yield the priority yesterday on my way to work?

Nah, he's just an asshole

I don't think it has anything to do with the end of the world.

(This is going to sound bad. Worse than i really mean it to) I think it comes from society's increasingly inability to enforce social etequite. Faux pas are not "punished" resulting worse faux pas.

The tricky part is where do we draw the line and who defines it?

People act up because today we are now a secular society and because toxic individualism and moral relativism are at an all time high. It has become taboo to call people out for their bullshit. It has become taboo to hold your neighbor to a moral standard. It’s as if the Assassin’s Creed (nothing is true, everything is permitted) became law and that IS NOT a good thing