The important difference that separates us from the social insects is that they carry the instructions for nest building in their genes. We have no permanent ubiquitous record of our civilization from which to restore it should it fail. We would have to start again at the beginning. One that would serve also as a primary school science text. It would be the scientific equivalent of the Bible.
Modern media are more fallible instruments for long-term storage than was the spoken word.
They require the support of a sophisticated technology that we cannot take for granted.