India, June 1 -- Walk through any public space today and the scene is the same. Airports, metro stations, university corridors, parks - everywhere, people are locked into glowing screens, thumbs moving in that familiar, almost hypnotic rhythm. Listen closely to the audio bleeding from nearby earphones and you will not just hear music. You will hear voices - urgent, relentless, and opinionated - telling you exactly how to feel about the world. We have become addicted to a new kind of dopamine: the constant consumption of other people's opinions.

As someone who studies communication in the context of democratic participation, I have watched this shift unfold with growing concern. This is not simply a change in political behaviour. It repre...