Advances in the Written Word - Shaping Culture

Chapter 6 - of Meggs History of Graphic Design (4th edition) explained how advances in typography played a pivotal role in the social, economic, and religious upheavals that occurred during the 15thand 16th centuries. 

In today's information age, where electronic mass communications are sent and received across the globe almost instantly, and information is so easily and freely accessible to most societies - how has this technology influenced quality of life and culture?
Consider how internet memes affect so many assets of our lives.