I agree with your evaluation of the article, but I'm tired of this "social problems created by tech" narrative. I grew up in the world before the internet. It was NOT better.
Yes, I think the personal computer sucked in many people who previously would have idled their time elsewhere, having nothing better to do. It was often a life saver or at the very least a more productive use of time - for me it certainly was.
> I actually think it was worse before, just like in many areas. The bullying and fighting then was physical and real.
That seem like a pretty hard to prove statement. Per definition those who were young in the olden-days of bullying are now old and not in the same situation where the bullying typically happens. I too remember the physical "real" bullying but one up-side of that is that the bullies couldn't get away with that much bullying since it was very visible and left physical traces. Also the extreme solution of relocating was available. Modern day bullies bullies in a very _real_ way (ask someone who is bullied) and it's harder to find a safe place and also harder to find and build a few strong meaningful friendships. Bullies find their way into your bedroom under your covers (phone lights up, "is it them?") and when every relation is visible and measured in likes and engagement good luck getting a friend that wants to connect with someone who is bullied and risk attracting the attention of the bullies.
So what until today's young ones are old enough to tell you exactly how bad we fucked them up. Bring tissues.
Easy, low effort communication has allowed me to much better overcome my poor socialization/abusive childhood and make friends much easier than before. Even something as simple as having a GPS has opened up a lot of doors, as there's places I will go to now that I wouldn't attempt to go to ~10 years ago due to the fear of getting lost.
