How far have we come?

Tracing the notion of escapism or perhaps even utopia, raises a number of questions. Why are we constantly obsessed with former epochs or distant places; is it a tendency or an obsession; is the current notion of escapism different from modernist romanticism or imperialistic depictions? The rise of the internet has created access points to pockets of culture previously unattainable due to physical limitations. How has our relationship with the process of “othering” changed with the birth of the digital age?