The internet as bulletin board.
This reminds me of that great bit in Spaulding Grey's Swimming to Cambodia where he talks about the antiquated Soviet Submarine communications (metal tubes closing the audible gaps) as compared to our superior (U.S.) technology. How in the tinny crackle of the soviet tubes, when soldiers communicate with each other, each side can hear the other's fear and anguish in their comrade's voices. How the humanity is stripped from our communiques in our quest for technical proficiency-- and it's impossible to gauge the true emotional timbre at the other end of the line. Not that we didn't have issues with land-based lines... but the fact that everyone seems to be holding a cellphone to their ear or in front of their face at every available moment. Something about the fact that it seems as if no one can stand to be alone with their thoughts for more than a nanosecond.
The sad fall-out of our on-demand talk-to-me-tell-me-twitter-me-text-me storm of contact is that reaching out and touching someone.. has simply lost its specialness.