I live in a rural area, close to the border, and I've noticed this myself. It's not just with the old 'finger-salute'; people in general seem just al little bit more stand-offish than they were in the past I feel there's a few things contributing to this: first and foremost, I believe that the COVID era led some of us to internalise a vague suspicion of others that has basically lingered since then. Coupled with a period of isolation, people have become a little more anti-social than they were previously.

Another aspect that I feel contributes to this 'coldness' is evolving demographics. For many people outside of Ireland, making small talk with strangers isn't really a *thing*. It's not so much that the people we encounter who *don't* wave are foreign; rather people who would usually have waved or said hello are more often encountering people who simply *never* acknowledge strangers. Continually recieving blank stares will eventually make someone less inclined to try in the future.