I am not so sure if it is preference. Many seem to lack social skills and they never learned to socialize.

The life behind the scree. also has many benefits, like meeting many people you will never meet, not even if you travel a lot.
True is that the balance is gone and the picky human is not willing to invest in relationships with others in real life. Fear of what is different, rejection and looks play also a big role.

It's sad, but I doubt it can be changed. Unlike animals the human being will change into a (depressed) bad version of a robot.