Yes, I'm seeing about 1/2 zoom non-work meetings among friends when scheduling remote birthday parties or shared events - they got free training at work and feel comfortable using it. What a win for Zoom.

yes. For example, my wife hosts a weekly videochat with our friends.

That’s fair.

I’ve assumed thus far that using it socially was more zeitgeist than substance, only to pass like the sourdough starter phase.

Among my friend group it’s hard to find a reason to use it over, say, ad hoc FaceTime calls. But I recognize that’s not a position everyone is in or wants to be in. And preferences vary.

You're in an extreme filter bubble. FaceTime doesn't work on Android, PC, Linux, or Chromebook.

Close to 50%[1][2][3] of smartphones in the US are Apple. A "bubble," perhaps, but nothing extreme about it.

[1]: https://www.statista.com/statistics/236550/percentage-of-us-... [2]: https://www.counterpointresearch.com/us-market-smartphone-sh... [3]: https://blog.technavio.com/blog/iphone-market-share