What are some signs that the society they live in is a dystopia?

Fahrenheit 451 uses the genre of science fiction, which enjoyed immense popularity at the time of the book's publication, as a vehicle for his message that unchecked oppressive government irreparably damages society by limiting the creativity and freedom of its people. In particular, the "dystopia" motif popular in science fiction - a futuristic technocratic and totalitarian society that demands order and harmony at the expense of individual rights - serves the novel well.

Montag's society fits a dystopia in all ways. It is cold and unfeeling. People live for superficial desires, while lost in a fog of immediate validation and happy pills. There is no deeper meaning to life, in fact this is mandated by the state. Books are banned. People mindlessly go through their day addicted to their mindless screening rooms and relationships, which are void of meaning.