I think you are approaching this from your own particular, engineering and possibly introverted, biased viewpoint.
As a counterpoint I would say MANY MANY people love and thrive in small talk and as is referenced elsewhere in this discussion, particularly engaging in that at work.
I commute by bike and I miss it. I'm not motivated enough to just go for a bike ride around the neighborhood so the commute was really good at forcing me to get my daily exercise. I know this isn't everyone's experience but I miss my commute!
Different folks different strokes. I hate hate hate small talk. One of the guys who worked for me in the past loved it. He had a hard time working remote until he got a roommate he could talk to. A lot of people are probably somewhere in between.
Just because these things dont make sense to you it does not mean they are not true for many people.
What about those of us who hate small talk but enjoy being around smart, interesting, and fun co-workers? If your interactions at work amount to nothing but small-talk then you need to look for a new job
1 - typically not true. Maybe in engineering positions - but yes, there is a world outside of software engineering. Human beings are mostly social to some extent. Even the introverts I work with say they miss the occasional lunch.
2 - I get managers are persona non grata on here but get real. You still need people to make decisions.
3 - I miss commuting. I listened to music and I like driving, and it gave me structure to wake up at a certain time in the morning.
1)People hate small-talk $hit. They will not go back to work so they can small-talk
2)Like to - doesn't mean it's going to go back. Plus they can save by firing Manager who used to come and "check in"
3)People will find other ways to have normalcy - no one is going to miss commuting.
4)This is a toss up. I can see it going both ways. Going to work is a drudgery for a huge swath of Americans, too.