Frankly it’s amazing we’re accomplishing anything at all as a society…

To be fair, smartphones weren't used by the masses (worldwide) until the middle to late 2000s. There has been centuries before the smartphone, PC, TV, and radio.

source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/263437/global-smartphone-sales-to-end-users-since-2007/

source: https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/16/the-top-apps-and-games-of-the-2010s/

I do see your point of how it amazes you that we have been able to accomplish anything, worthwhile mind you. But this is part of the point of the post. It's amazing what we as humans all across the world have been able to achieve. But just like the analogy of using a tool, bad/devastating/misuse can still be experienced in all scales.