I think you are correct. I am in the UK and I saw a change happen to the students that went to university after I left. This was early nineties so pre-internet.

I think you are correct. I am in the UK and I saw a change happen to the students that went to university after I left. This was early nineties so pre-internet. Nothing to do with screens. However, my generation created and participated in untold amount of parties. We did not go to official organised events most of the time, more things we did. So no fancy concerts with known acts, just some of us playing records, everyone else dancing or propping up the bar (or taking drugs). In fact even the drug taking was different, it was about the 'raves' and not the drugs. People didn't take the drugs outside of the events. Undoubtedly the drug scene was a huge appeal to some but more people were happy on regular alcohol. The generation that came along after just did not have the aptitude for getting together with a few hundred close friends for beach parties or illegal raves. At the same time the 'rave' scene or proper party scene had been killed off by capitalism, with larger venues in big cities - nightclubs - being the new thing. In the days of partying the idea of spending a Friday/Saturday in front of a screen and not going out would be tantamount to hell. Also, back in the day, it would be possible to physically see a party event and hear the music. Nowadays that never happens, I don't see house parties as frequently as how they used to happen, e.g. on a Saturday night walking back across town there is no party to be heard, everything has to be properly organised now. I think that the change happened with Reagan/Thatcher and how the individual mattered more than society, we become atomised then. It would be nice to know how teenagers partied before the invention of the teenager to see the whole pattern and not assume everything is due to me being 'getting old'.