@magdalen good for you! The random conversations that you have with people- sharing details about your walk when out and about is a excellent example of the human connection that people seek and are gratified by. Cognitive and language skills are used to articulate and reading people’s responses- all very complex and taken fir granted years ago!! - When you look in the right place- you shall find. I think social media is a tool for keeping in touch with extreme moderation. Technology should never displace our organic human connections.
Here is a thread I started that reminded me of your experience…