Except that, the whole reason this is a problem is because of us. We make it one.

It's interesting that you brought this up, the social butterfly, because I was thinking about them in a tangental way this past week or two.

They're not a problem, they're a necessity for the rest of us, the shy, introverted, and socially awkward people.

Social butterflies are natural attractants, like you say. But they also "lower or raise the ambiant temperature" of a social gathering, making it easier for everyone to mingle. That draw they have, makes it okay for everyone else, who otherwise never would, to socialize.

They draw people out of their shells and make connections happen.

They are a flame. And when you're in their light, you can see and play within the crowd in relative emotional safety. You can let down your guard.

Social butterflies seem to be on the decline to me, because we've pretty much treated them like shit, and not appreciated the function they serve. Without a doubt, most social butterflies are female. All this violence, harassment, and vitriol directed at women both online and IRL alongside the gaslighting that always goes hand in hand with assaults, has made it perceptively unsafe for them to operate.

So now the rest of us are stuck hugging the wall, so to speak, unable to get out and mingle, because the light they created is being a snuffed out.

Chalk it up to yet another example of unpaid labor that (predominantly) women provide that does not get recognized, appreciated, valued, or respected.