Even though I wasn't in the workforce yet 20 years ago, I'd venture to guess breaks/lunch at work were more social 20 years ago. I blame smartphones for why solo breaks/lunch have become the norm (for a lot of employees, break/lunch are a time to be on your smartphone; not to talk to others)
Nah... Then as now, they're as social as those in the break room allow them to be
"I'm guilty of wanting to be left to my own devices (pun intended) with my phone on break/lunch"
Fair inference: Like most men who've either gone MGTOW or are MGTOW-esque, you're guilty of wanting to be left alone with your devices more generally(not just at work), while simultaneously cursing society for not being nicer/more accommodating to you. You fellas have a decision to make:
-Stick to your devices, and confine yourselves to online communities filled with folks who already think and behave exactly as you do. Ya know, online communities where anyone who dares ask "Fuc-ed up as society is, might we also be engaging in behaviors that drive the rest of humanity away?", are promptly banned
Or
-Engage in an ounce of piercing self-reflection, then be man enough to say: "If I want not just women, but people more generally to not find me ugly, these are the behavioral patterns I must either modify or rid myself of", then write out a list of said behavioral patterns. None of this is easy, nonetheless it is quite simple
"Then to make matters worse, she'd talk my ear off for the entire 30 minutes"
When you're the sort of guy who starts threads like this
https://www.sosuave.net/forum/threa...me-to-try-with-making-moves-in-person.282277/ , the likes of which drag on for 19 pages and counting, you attract women who are similarly irritating
"To answer your question of whether there are any places in my office where I can be alone with a female coworker, we have some balconies connected to our office. Other than that, the only place I can really be alone with a woman is a female manager's office"
Anyone who thinks workplace dating is now less hazardous to a man's health just because MeToo's star is fading is in for a rude awakening. This was ill-advised long before the word "sexual harassment" even entered our lexicon, and it will continue to be