Conversation

My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.

It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.

TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.

Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.

The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.