Increasingly, even very significant events in our lives take place online. It is now common to hear stories of couples breaking up through an instant message or even a text message. What is missing from these interactions compared with similar interactions in the past?

Human personal interaction is missing from these.

Explanation:

In the past, humans interacted through post cards, but they were predominantly a follow up to personal interaction. Today we spend most of our lives making connections online. In the past people spent most of their time and lives interacting in person with other people, thus enjoying the most human way of interacting with people.