I think it requires less mental effort to send a text message than to write out a letter long-hand to a family member. It is certainly easier to copy and paste from the Internet than to do proper research, note-taking and writing essays out long-hand.  It is possible that our thought processes and ability to think suffer from lack of use.

I am not so sure about the idea of profound communication being limited by our modern communication tools.  The information is out there as well as the opinions and analysis, you just have to dig deeper than the surface as in you have to know what "keywords" to use in the search engine.

The most profound communication that the public needs to know is political communication, news, and public safety information.  All of this is reduced to sound-bytes and headline news.  We are bombarded daily with tons of information and facts, but we really don't know very much about the motivating factors involved in much of the unrest in the world.  So, in that regard, our communication tools prevent deeper analysis of the news.  And, the ennui that comes with being over-stimulated by too much information causes us to ignore some important facts to our peril.

Most modern newspapers are written on nothing higher than a 6th grade reading level. Most college text books are written on a 10th grade reading level. So, as television viewing progressed among the population the ability to read has declined.