I think this trend started way before digital media. Since TV a lot of people spend hours every day in front of a screen which is their main source of informati

I think this trend started way before digital media. Since TV a lot of people spend hours every day in front of a screen which is their main source of information about the outside world. Business also has been becoming increasingly impersonal. You are beholden to shareholders you don’t know and shareholders demand things from people they don’t know. You can’t give feedback to job applicants for a vague fear of being sued. We are afraid of strangers talking to children or even us. I am not sure if this trend will be positive or negative long term but I think social media is just another (accelerated) step in that direction.