We are becoming the People of the Lie.

[dawg]

18. Our species began as hunter-gatherers.

Then, with the invention of farming (in several independent spots around the world), we transitioned to an agricultural economy. That persisted for thousands of years.

Then came the industrial revolution, and the industrial age began. That one actually didn't last all that long, maybe a century or so.

Next came the silicon revolution, and we transitioned to an information-based economy. That happened within most of our lifetimes. It was rapid, and many people found themselves feeling somewhat left-behind.

But the information age is already over.

Sometime, I'm not sure exactly when, we entered a new era. Instead of an economy based on information, we became an economy based on bullshit. Instead of informing people, we seek to titillate them, enrage them, and capture their eyeballs at any cost. Instead of finding ways to make better products, we find new and better ways of tricking people into buying shitty things they never really needed in the first place.

Is the stock market dominated by "tech" companies? If you look a little more carefully, you'll see that they are probably better described as "advertising" companies. That's how they make their money. By holding your attention, and selling it to their advertisers for top dollar.

It's no wonder we had a reality-show host and con-man as our president for four years. He's a man of our times.