Does it matter that in small ways, every day, our behavior demonstrates that we value our online connections more than we value the interactions we might have with people in the commons? Does it matter that in the space of a generation, the norm has shifted so that it is now common for parents and caregivers to talk on their phones while pushing a

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Putnam believed that the single biggest risk factor was the growing amount of time people spent alone.

Even back when he wrote Bowling Alone —before smartphones and apps—teens were solitary for three-and-a-half hours per day. Adolescents spent more time alone than with their family.

For the first time in history, people were growing up disconnected... See more