India, Sept. 21 -- She has spent an hour on the drape of her saree and the angle of the light. The photograph goes up on Instagram and the phone is placed face down. Three minutes later, it is back in her hand. Ten views. Twenty likes. Decent, but where is his comment?

Across the city, a young professional trudges home after weeks of untangling a difficult project. He feels proud until he remembers that his manager ended the final meeting without a word of thanks.

In a kitchen, a small boy holds up his drawing. His mother calls it beautiful. He studies her face and asks, "Do you really mean it, or are you just saying it?"

Three generations, three ordinary moments, one shared hunger. Somewhere along the way we handed a blinking notifica...