Exactly this, the worlds changing, people don't drink as much so the Pub culture has changed, thats as much to do as anything about that landscape moving on, some bars/restaurants are doing alot better than others at moving with the times, I see it alot on my work travels about who has done well in reinventing the wheel to go with trends. The worlds a smaller place, you take illegal immigration out the argument and the world is just much more "borderless" than its ever been, I have used that to my advantage in the last 10/15 years. The cultural landscape is shifting almost daily.
Like you say, Everything is changing and from government to public life, no one is handling it very well......and social media plays a massive part into that.