1. Lower trust society, probably made worse by increased political division.
2. Loss of social skills. People are more testy and angry or on a hair-trigger. You look at photos from 70+ years ago and people seemed friendlier , more approachable, and more gregarious. Same for online, in which people have gotten angrier and more intolerant with each election cycle. Campus guest speakers have been shouted-down when trying to give talks, such as Charles Murray. This suggests poor social skills.
3. Individual preferences. Perhaps people are choosing to withdrawal or be alone, because it's more enjoyable. Maybe the internet, smart phones, Netflix, and social media are more enjoyable than social outings. There are more ways then ever for people to do things together, such as group events which are posted and scheduled online, yet people are voluntarily choosing to be alone.
I think your #2 is spot on, and your #3 is the cause. Tech is being used as a replacement for so many aspects of our lives now: social networking, online dating, shopping, even asking for information ("just google it"), all reducing in-person interactions and replacing what were once very involved processes.
I have to wonder if it’s sort of like ads. Previously, if you wanted any entertainment, you probably had to put up with ads of some sort. On TV, there were commercial breaks. In the newspaper, there were print ads, etc. Then the internet and streaming and ad blocking came along. I never liked ads, but I would begrudgingly put up with them before. (I’d mute them, not look at them, fast forward, etc. But it was impossible to get away from them.) Now I have zero tolerance for them because I have tons of media without them.
Previously, you could put up with someone who had a few quirks or was a little obnoxious because, hey, that’s part of life and there are only so many people you can interact with in a day, and some of them suck. But now, I can find the other 10 people who like whatever band I’m into, or weird sport, or whatever, and I can spend a bunch of time with them. I no longer have the patience to hear about your stupid hobby, or your horrible politics. I can just walk away, go to my computer and hang out with other like-minded people. Just like here on Hacker News!
When you hang out with people for a long time they tend to get to know you very well. This includes your weaknesses and faults and those would be common knowledge in any group you were a part of. Maybe you got made fun for it but eventually settled into the group dynamic making it a comfortable place to just be yourself.
Now we spend smaller blocks of time together, a lot of conversation is online where you can selectively present yourself favorably, social media is a selection of your best moments curated to be shared. We don’t spend time with people, so no one knows us and that creates a constant pressure to be “the image” you’ve presented. This is a recipe for anxiety, depression and having no resilience to the daily ups and downs of life.
1. Lower trust society, probably made worse by increased political division.
2. Loss of social skills. People are more testy and angry or on a hair-trigger. You look at photos from 70+ years ago and people seemed friendlier , more approachable, and more gregarious. Same for online, in which people have gotten angrier and more intolerant with each election cycle. Campus guest speakers have been shouted-down when trying to give talks, such as Charles Murray. This suggests poor social skills.
3. Individual preferences. Perhaps people are choosing to withdrawal or be alone, because it's more enjoyable. Maybe the internet, smart phones, Netflix, and social media are more enjoyable than social outings. There are more ways then ever for people to do things together, such as group events which are posted and scheduled online, yet people are voluntarily choosing to be alone.