I think we are. I think societies exist over a spectrum. At one side you have societies that are loosely knit because people/families can take care of themselves with minimal social dependency on others. At the other end there are societies that where because of population density or economics, people need to convince each other of their social worthiness to participate. The latter become very competitive and the way that competition manifests is in rigid social mores along with the "outing" of people who don't conform.

What we're seeing now is technology connecting us more and more and amplifying the potential disqualifiers. There is more social freedom when people have more independence.