Please note that te following are my personal observations, based on how I grew up, and what I am seeing these days. If other people grew differently and see it differently, please remember that these are my personal observations rather than global fact that everybody should feel the same or have had the same experiences, so there is nothing to disagree with or fight over. Instead, if your experiences and observations are different, I am interested in reading about them.
One sad aspect of people finding out what technology can do as a result of COVID-19 distancing and related cautions is that it increases separation of people. Going to the movies, people are around each other and can often have spontaneous conversations as they enter or leave the theater or wait in line for refreshments. No chance of that when sequestered away in our homes in front of the big screen TV. It is the same with shopping at brick and mortar stores being replaced by online sites. I often tend to strike up a conversation when waiting in line to check out groceries, so I still have that opportunity. However, having met new (to me) people in a hardware store or other brick and mortar places that may start giving way to online shopping, is something I would miss.
Though forums can help with the isolation, I personally don't believe they can really replace actual contact with people. I think by now we are all pretty much familiar with the miscommunication that can easily happen in forums because we don't REALLY get to know people online as we do in person because such communication does not have all the factors that we use to communicate, such as tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. We also don't have that immediate feedback that can easily clarify any misunderstandings in just a few seconds, that otherwise result in some rather hostile exchanges in even the friendliest forums.
Also, there is an ironic side to all this online shopping. When I was growing up, the Sears and Wards catalogs were a primary source of shopping. My mother would line us up and take measurements for school clothing as per the instructions in the catalog, and order clothes. Many items were purchased via these catalogs. The Sears Christmas catalog was pretty much a tradition during the holiday season. Then, shopping malls started showing up and the trend went from the catalogs to shopping in brick and mortar stores. As web sites and online shopping gained traction in more recent years, we are coming full circle with the "catalogs" being pictures and description on a web site.
My wife and I watched a movie last night (Amazon Prime streaming) about Steve Jobs. The point was made that the iPhone (smart phones in general) are serving to isolate people, as that section showed the all too familiar scene of people standing in an area such as a bus stop or other area that people congregate, and all ignoring each other as they focused on their smart phones. So, to me, like anything else in life, technology serves as a double-edged sword, bringing the world to our homes in ways previously unimaginable, but at the same time, isolating people. We can do most everything we need from home - shopping, exploring the world, chatting on forums, attending classes, checking in with our doctors, etc., all without ever interacting with a "real" human being in person. I think, based on comments I read here, that people are missing that interaction.
Tony