While I agree with what you&#x27;re saying, I think the point of the article is lost on you. I don&#x27;t think the author was implying technology has us &quot;drunk on our screens.&quot;, but rather, the ability of technology to act as a buffer between us, to create a world where we can have images, messages, opinions, from all walks of life constantly pouring into our minds through our hand-held devices.<p>I can only speak for myself here, but I noticed how after I started a professional career as a programmer and a tech-geek, I became more and more isolated; preferring alone time, and being in my head. It&#x27;s just easier, to take in all the information and opinions you prefer, and ignore what you don&#x27;t want. To engage in activities you want to do yourself, rather than compromising with others.<p>Perhaps this new society that emerges will not be WORSE than any previous one, but it will be different. I think it is important to understand those differences. I can already feel the growing pains caused by old institutions struggling to keep up with the pace of technology. We should keep an eye on those millennia old social institutions as well (like politics, community building, and voting).