This is the easy explanation, but doubtful. Similarly people blame costs for having fewer children. Except people aren't objectively worse off than before. Peop

This is the easy explanation, but doubtful. Similarly people blame costs for having fewer children. Except people aren't objectively worse off than before. People in poor countries manage to socialize just fine. I think it's more a mismatch with subjective expectation. Combined with news, social media, plenty of infinite entertainment on tap tailored to you, apps for food delivery, etc. It's a better bet on the day to day timescale than even talking to neighbors (for free), who likely don't align with your interests and online bubbles. And anyway everyone is likely to move soon, no sense in investing time. The benefits would only accumulate slowly over a long time, so people don't bother. Feedback cycles must be quick. And social media also turns hobbies and hanging out into competition. You can and often feel like you're supposed to obsess over the details of the hobby, see better gear on YouTube, people doing it much better than you ever will, so watching is just good enough.