Interesting take, and I can see that as well. That said, I think alternative forms of media like television, video games, and potentially even social media shorts might be able to recreate portions of that experience.

The medium (books, tv, social media, video games) shouldn't matter so long as it is forcing you to challenge preconceived notions.

And that's where I think the current malaise lies - reward systems that are basically min-max with extra steps will not reward challenging or risk taking content. That's the downside of removing friction.