The loss of unifying religious morality created an initial societal void. Social media then amplified this by exposing people to a tsunami of viewpoints, resulting in an 'infinite fracturing of frame of reference' and the creation of countless micro-tribes that erode social cohesion.

Unlike previous generations who grew up believing liberal democracy was the final political form, Gen Z entered a world with no clear answers. This void, combined with infinite internet access, fueled a competitive explosion of fringe ideologies as they searched for new models.

Authoritarian regimes rely on 'big lies' to control the narrative. The modern counter is the camera phone, which allows citizens to create many small, verifiable records from multiple angles. This flood of 'little truths' can dissolve or push back against state-sponsored propaganda.

The sharp rise in teens feeling their lives are useless correlates directly with the smartphone era. Technology pulls them from productive activities into passive consumption, preventing the development of skills and a sense of purpose derived from contribution.

Marshall McLuhan's 'global village' was a warning, not a celebration. He argued villages are often dysfunctional, judgmental, and prone to manias (e.g., witch trials). Social media has turned the world into one such village, fostering a highly emotionalized, de-intellectualized culture at a global scale.

The constant presence of cameras has created a modern panopticon for young people. This "Hawthorne effect" on a societal scale discourages experimentation and risk-taking, as any misstep can be permanently recorded and shared, leading to a more risk-averse youth.

The proliferation of cell phone cameras has fundamentally changed activism. By capturing events from multiple angles, citizens create an irrefutable public record that counters official disinformation and makes the phrase "We see you" a powerful tool for accountability.

The opportunity for Samsara didn't come from one breakthrough. It was the simultaneous maturation of three technologies around 2015: ubiquitous 4G connectivity, powerful handheld compute (e.g., NVIDIA in Nintendo Switch), and cheap, high-quality cameras driven by the smartphone boom.

Current instability is not unique to one country but part of a global pattern. This mirrors historical "crisis centuries" (like the 17th) where civil wars, plagues, and economic turmoil occurred simultaneously across different civilizations, driven by similar underlying variables.