We know too much about each other

I was at a film festival when a stranger decided she already knew everything about me. She managed to catch half a sentence, draw a conclusion, and was mid-accusation before I'd even had a chance to finish my thought. It struck me, later, that this is more or less how we relate to each other now.

Before I make a sweeping claim about what's tearing society apart, I should acknowledge that sweeping claims about what's tearing society apart are usually wrong because humanity is a complex system and it’s rarely just one thing. Still, this one is worth considering.

Thanks to the Internet and social media, we are more connected than ever. But we are also more divided. I think it’s making us hate each other not because of what it exposes us to, but because of what it hides. We see too much of what people think, and not nearly enough of who they are.

When we spend time with people, particularly in-person, we get to know them through experience and their behavior towards us and others. Are they…