My guess is this would be more representative of 50 years ago. But I wouldn't know I wasn't around.
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All I know is the difference between now and 20 years ago in regards to social interaction is massive from what I observe. In my teens, never would have seen friends or family members on PT ignoring each other as often as current day. Undoubtedly people were more sociable 20-30 years ago face to face. There was no screen to hide behind.
Maybe your dates are different, but observe others. They're constantly distracted from "the moment" by the regular alerts of their tech. The fact that people need the phone to "help conversation" just shows that social skills are slipping.
Like I said, the research is in its infancy. Thus is just one study, but there's plenty of others out there if you're interested in learning more.
I'd say cheaper travel has done more for international travel than tech has. That and changes in societal attitude. People never used to feel the need for a gap year, maybe high school is more stressful these days. Or maybe people are more stressed and disconnected because of their tech and they need a distraction such as a gap year to fix the malaise.