How is the world we are living today in?

Which times are we living today?

I have seen a film about the coup in Chile during the 70s
I seen that almost everyone had an opinion, 
almost everyone were very implicated in the political situation,
there were a lot of people gathering together fighting for a idea,
within both sides of the field (left and right),
and it is amazing because nowadays people are mostly individual.
They say that there is nothing new behind the sun,
so I wonder, in which time of the history people were so involved in their own?
we have found that, to make the world work,
all we have to do is to care about ourselves.
I have no problem with that, I love my individuality
and do not being responsible for the others, or carrying them.
But it is interesting,

I wonder what had happened.
Maybe you know, please tell me,
maybe a friend of yours know, please tell me.