The first line indicates that those in the culture who read history seem rarely to understand when things actually do change.
The rest indicate that what's really new is mass two-way communication. The Internet. It really is a big change, like transistor radios were. When they came out, everyone could get the news.
With the internet, now they can gossip about it, and foment change.
Sorry about the inscrutability. I get tired of plodding. Align culture with our nature.