It's never tinfoil-hat to assume that a corporation is, at very least, making sure not to fight too hard against any activity that brings it more revenue.
And also be more kind, tolerant, wish others, and oneself.
I agree that this is the ideal response, but unfortunately this hasn't been the general result and I doubt it ever will be. When an animal learns (or is tricked) that its environment is more harsh and dangerous than it previously believed, its instinctive reaction is to become less trusting, less curious, more withdrawn, and very often more prone to anger and violence. Humans are no different by and large.
To be clear, my comment was specifically about the effect of "horror news bombardment" on individuals, particularly via social media. I'm not sure it can take credit for the trends you mentioned, which started a very long time ago.
