Who Says A "Real" Social Life Is Necessary?

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And by this, I mean, not online, but people who are sitting or standing next to you. When I hear hardened "rules" I tend to want to question and rebel to get to the truth by looking at everything from every side possible. I'm actually tired of hearing "We're social creatures and need to" -- says who? Social Scientists? People who only say this to rebel against COVID rules? And so what if scientists say it? I don't like a one-size fits all, and I don't like most norms. I love dissent. I just had a phone call with a girl who I've known for almost 20 years, so she knows me well enough.. I told her how glad I was that this pandemic didn't happen when I was a teenager or in my 20s... She told me she's always been a homebody and so it wasn't a big deal for her, but asked how I was doing, and asked if I would start traveling again once COVID wasn't as big of a deal.. I told her no (for many reasons), and then a few minutes later, she said, "Maybe it's because you got the socializing and traveling out of your system?" and it's a good question. If I was waiting until my 40s to be "social", it might be tougher than it is now.... My only worries are catching the virus, and can't think of many places I wish were open. The closest thing to my house is a strip club. Not my thing. After realizing everyone who has come over has been there, I thought I'd check it out one day, and left after I saw no women were dancing -- I wasn't there to drink like a lot of others. But, if I had known in March of 2020 that it would still be like this in Feb of 2022, I might have been overwhelmed with the thought alone. People seem to have adjusted to isolation before, but a handful of people I know (and random people online) have said and joked that "I've been socially distancing for years!"... Had this pandemic happened in the 80s, I think people not have been able to handle it, but nowadays most of our communication is NOT face-to-face. COVID to me seems like the nail in the coffin to use NBA Jam parlance. I'm one who prefers having people over because it's just more fun, and we're not constrained by when a place closes, rules, etc., and can do things "our way" depending on who is over. If 90% of people choose NOT to be social, then even the 10% of extroverts won't have much of a choice and will find new ways, or will just do things they did more often (Movies, music, reading, etc). I've talked more on the phone in the last couple of years because of the pandemic, and the people I used to hang out with are saying they've had a lot of time and opportunity to evaluate themselves, and that they prefer to be alone. I've actually had a couple of really long conversations in the last few days and a few things I heard were how instead of all the driving, getting ready, finding a babysitter, we can do the same exact on the phone. As well as how one isn't going to catch COVID simply by talking on the phone... I also know that a majority of people in my circle, including myself, order groceries now, and actually know a few who did it before COVID, like my sister, because shopping with two girls was too much for her, and too time consuming. Now I'm thinking of my two nieces who are 5 and 3. The oldest is in school, and on her first day, she wore a mask, so COVID is all she remembers.. Does this make it easier for them? When my nieces become adults, they might be better adjusted, because the previous generation also spent a ton of their teen years on a phone, or some sort of screen, but probably weren't interested in that stuff in their first couple years. It's hard to covet something you never had. Are there activities you are doing now that you never did pre-COVID? Are there things you're doing now more than ever as a result? Just curious -- the more you read, the better the sample size and hopefully more accurate.