It's become somewhat commonplace to say that lockdowns couldn't have happened 15 years ago because of smart phones, videoconferencing, the multiplication of e-commerce options, etc. But the mirror of that is to say that 15 years ago, no one primarily looked to their phones for entertainment. In 2005, people hadn't been psychically primed by the mental diversions available via technology to accept staying in their apartments for week after week due to a virus that was causing no visible suffering in their lives.
It's become somewhat commonplace to say that lockdowns couldn't have happened 15 years ago because of smart phones, videoconferencing, the multiplication of e-commerce options, etc. But the mirror of that is to say that 15 years ago, no one primarily looked to their phones for entertainment. In 2005, people hadn't been psychically primed by the mental diversions available via technology to accept staying in their apartments for week after week due to a virus that was causing no visible suffering in their lives.