There's no question that people care more about what their immediate acquaintances know about them. That doesn't mean it's a great path for society, though.
Unfortunately the fashionable thing to do these days is to assume that everything will work out for the best on its own.
I completely agree. But I think if you want things to change it helps to understand why people make the decisions they do (and that they're "locally" rational most of the time).
Unfortunately the fashionable thing to do these days is to assume that everything will work out for the best on its own.