So much the better. You know the more I think about this, social media might be largely responsible both for the alienation that I mentioned, and for exaggerating the seeming proximity and urgency of every crisis (not just the big ones we should care about, but also the little ones that probably have no real effect on us other than as spectators).

Both of those (social isolation and a steady stream of bad news imbued with a desperate urgency and importance) would tend to discourage and depress normal human beings!