Zoo Hypotheses

Why have we not had any direct encounters with aliens? One theory that stirs my imagination is the “Zoo Hypotheses” that more advanced extraterrestrial civilizations are just observing us (to learn, or for entertainment?), and we are being given the freedom to develop on our own without outside influences. Are we so benevolent with the life around us on this planet? We observe a lot in our voyeuristic social media culture, but what do we learn? How does that observation change us? Are the aliens observing us also learning from us? I wonder how many layers of observation are going on above and below us. Are we just a plaything for beings more intelligent than us or are we being experimented on like we experiment on those creatures we perceive as less intelligent than us? I wonder what Schrodinger’s cat observed in its box…