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These are called Phatic Expressions, and every culture has some version of them. Unfortunately, they aren't really going anywhere, so it's good to familiarize yourself with which questions in different cultures don't require a response matching the question. A good example, as Tom mentions, is the famous "y'alright?" in the UK. They aren't asking for a run down of your day, it's just a societal greeting without any expectations.
They aren't asking these questions to be unnecessarily nosy, so I'd advise against the passive aggression because people who greet others this way are well-meaning. I highly recommend that video to put these into perspective from the greeter.
So I meant that mostly tongue in cheek. However it's cool to see there's a term and use for it. In general I dislike small talk but will usually engage as minimally as possible just to be polite.
That's fair. Yeah it's definitely meant for even less than small talk; "minimally as possible" is the general sentiment behind phatic expressions in the first place.