I’d guess a better way to phrase it would be that it levelled the closeness to some sort of a middle ground level.

Instead of having a few very close people and everyone else being others, it’s like we have more open, but more suspicious/weary interactions now in general.

Its sorta hard for me to say as I got married bit before smartphones and I actually don’t like them but I do have a tablet. Im certainly not on a cell phone all the time with folks in the room but I am on my laptop all the time. Work one at work and home one at home. Most of my communication is by email but I am on this communicating with folks from satan knows where.