Maybe no one needs anything anymore,

I'm guilty of dreading small talk myself, but no, this isn't the case. Damn near everyone would be better off with more micro-relationships, more empathy, and more community support these days.

Problem is you never know if you're going to have a nice chat about the weather, or get to listen to gramp's reinterpretation of a talk radio political screed aimed at yourself or someone you love. And since so many things try to divert a large fraction of our attention to rage baiting political blurbs with no actual content, celebrity gossip, and outright propaganda, it's not unreasonable to be wary of the possibility of getting more of the same from a source you can't easily filter, turn off, or click away from.

People, especially those who are more introverted, seem exhausted by it all even while still responding to it. The psychological hooks are set pretty deep.

I'm enough of a conspiratorial thinker to believe this is by design. An attempt to move us away from empathy and community and teach us to rely on corporations and products for the kind of support you're describing. Don't wait for a kind stranger to help you change that wagon wheel, get a trail-side assistance package at the trading post before you set out...