I would suggest you to watch this TED talk by Prof. Steven Pinker on Violence: http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_the_myth_of_violen...
As he rightly points out, in anthropological time-scale, violence has been declining and our circle of empathy has been expanding. We are now concerned about what is happening inside the country (and sometimes outside it) unlike previously when our line of sight was mostly restricted to the village, clan or the tribe.
Secondly, he points at we building better political and social structures. And the bedrock for this phenomenon is free access to information. Internet by its very nature is decentralized unlike traditional sources of media. Although poorly conceived regulations sometimes threaten its independence, it is still the best source of free speech. Disruptive technologies like printing press have had significant impact on 15th-16th century society by democratizing knowledge. And as some may argue, it may have created conditions for important movements such as renaissance and reformation.