Now although I'm still working in a related sector of the industry, I feel more detached than I did and I think this is definitely a product of the internet.

I think so too. The cost of "knowledge" has come down, therefore, so has the value of getting it. On top of this, it is always available to anyone, so there is very little value in having it on hand and, it is all generic, no matter how specialized it is. If your skills are available all over the internet for free, anyone can be you. I think this affects our own engagement with our lives, devaluing who we are -even in our own eyes.

Thankfully as far as Hive I would say that I'm pretty closely matched with how I am in real life.

You come across this way to me too :)