How is it obvious? I (and most of my friends) don't use social networks at all. They're not "absolutely required" for absolutely anything (unless your country is significantly different from mine). You'll only "miss out" on things that are only happening on social networks, but that's the point, right?

I literally said they were not "absolutely required" and I don't know why you'd go out of your way to misquote my 2 sentence statement.

My mom didn't have a telephone, she had other friends without telephones, but having a telephone when she was a kid was fundamental to building robust social relationships. The reduction of social bandwidth generally results in fewer opportunities for social advancement, and most people would like to experience social advancement of some type.

> Obviously the utilization of social networks is fundamental to social engagement in modern life.

That is not obvious at all. I think it's not even true.

It's so non-obvious that 60% of the entire population of the Earth uses it.

That doesn't support the thesis that it's "fundamental to social engagement". I understand that it actually may be in some places, but I haven't seen a reason to think that's the most common case.