Had a conversation on this topic with a long-term coworker just yesterday. He and I are both pushing 60.
He was reminiscing about the comraderie and bonhomie he enjoyed with his coworkers in the 1970s. After the factory whistle blew, he and his buddies would sit right down on the factory floor and open a keg.
What he fails to appreciate is that:
1) He and those coworkers are no longer in their teens. They are no longer on the look-out for hook-ups, no longer seeking a "place in life," no longer still enjoying the first rush of young adulthood (freedom, money, but no responsibilities like kids and mortgages). Instead, they have found their "places in life." They are no longer boarding in some crowded dorm, squalid bachelor flat, or living in Mama's basement. They have had decades to set themselves up in comfortable, nicely decorated, well-furnished homes - with a wife, children, and maybe even grandchildren. Thus, they have better things to do than to "hang out" with their drinking buddies.
2. They are older. When you are in your late teens / early 20s, your personality is still only half-formed. Nothing is completely "baked in." The personality differences between individuals is thus less noticeable. And youths are so callow, they are less judgemental about their peers. "Wow, Fred's girlfriend just got an abortion. I guess I'm cool with that." After after reaching true adulthood and acquiring more maturity can one properly reflect upon such things - and recognize moral faults.
3. Technology (computers, the Internet, DVDs, Netflix, cell phones, etc.). Sitting on a dusty factory floor throwing back some "brews" with some random strangers one just happens to work with simply doesn't compare with sharing one's thoughts with the select few like-minded individuals one has found amongst the millions in the Internet. If such things hadn't been invented, most people would probably still be spending their evenings in sewing circles, Bible study groups, bowling teams, etc.
Regards,
I know all that and thought long and hard about it, but the reality is, even those young people aren’t going out and socializing together after work today.