i think that people are beginning to find these more shallow ways of connecting less meaningful and while they will always serve a purpose, i think that technology such as virtual reality will enable people who are not in the same room together to connect with one another in more meaningful and real (feeling) ways.
however it might be a bit scary to use it in the long term I expect a short hype like with Chatroulette or SecondLife because everybody wants to try it at least one time but itl only stick with a few of those Initial Users and serve a real purpose there...