I suspect its not a modern thing at all but has always been there since we have always been social creatures

I think by the way you have formed this question you think this is just a recent need. Perhaps what you really mean is we have become needier. The Facebook generation and the constant need to be “friended” by others is in fact a very new phenomenom, but this is an exaggerated and largely false ego boosting exercise. We as humans. are social animals and do need to feel accepted by the rest of our group, but that has always been the case.

Do you think that any society is free from "validation seekers". That is up to you, i do not need any stinkin' validation!

SEZ WHO?!? ????

We are social creatures. Support, interaction and even validation are necessary for our emotional health.

Because we are still flesh and blood human animals? Same reason we still need sex, or anything else that we could technically live without. No amount of technology or education will change it.

I think it has a lot to do with humans having more opportunities/advantages to survive as a group than by themselves since our early stages of our evolution. Even now, if you're part of a large group, you are backed up by people who think like you and in a way you become represented. I think a lot of people join religious organizations because of that... There are no serious obligations and it's easy to join. They might need support or help at first, but when they become full members, there's power to tap from these groups and that to them gives them an advantage to gain more money and prestige.

Because some of us never got it as children and never learned how to give it to ourselves.

It has nothing to do with 'modern' society, but it has everything to do with human insecurities. Fears.

Fitting in is safer than being marginalized.

Even in modern society, being gay, bi, poor, obese, elderly, non-white, Muslim, handicapped, or even unattractive, can put people at an extreme social disadvantage.

Because no man is an island. And because way back when we needed others in our community in order to be protected. Our brains are wired for interaction with others.

It has nothing to do with "modern society". It has to do with the fact that humans are hyper-social creatures. Validation and affirmation are reassuring; withholding of same is threatening. Up to an irrational perception of an existential threat.

Humans have always needed "validation" from one another.
We're just more aware of it now because we are vastly more connected
through technology.

We all need validation.

Humans are social animals. It’s ingrained in our biology to seek to fit in with a group.