You're exactly on point imo - I think that there's a good chance, if zapping as a cultural thing continues, that the fear of missing out could be a modern online equivalent to the fear of being punched. I really think there's a chance here.

I'm thinking back to some of the earlier days on various forums, the quality of the conversations was, in general, so much better. I don't think the twitter like interfaces help, but the standard of conversations and the militant hatred between various factions is not doing us any good as a broader community.