Jim Jones never actually died. He's still stirring the kool-aid. Do you think it's that people are so uninspired in their own lives that they are so easily led? Or perhaps they are trapped in chains of their own making and can't see their way out? It seems like people are encased in a prison of ice with eyes wide open and we need a tiny hammer to break the shell so they may avert their eyes.
On the technology issue it is a true boon for applications such as Hive and for the speed, diversity and sheer amount of information but it is equally adept at mass hypnosis. You state it much more eloquently than I, and I couldn't agree more.
Jim Jones! Exactly. Now think about that case. I've studied it and continue to do so and when you compare that to what's happening in society, it's an identical twin. It's not that people are weak or inferior intellects. Everyone becomes a product of their environment. I'm not immune. No member of any cult knew they were involved in a cult. That's the only world they know. So if you create a world and ensure people remain inside, while feeling safe from a perceived threat, they will never want to leave. There's always a villain created. You see that in society with the left vs right thing. These things don't work without that element. Even today when you look how one side is pushing hard to create animosity; white vs black. Jim Jones did the exact same thing. Even on their last day, he was recorded enforcing that division. When one compares his words to words coming from the media, it becomes almost too easy to conclude it's happening all over again.