Myth and Metrics: How Social Media Robs Us of Ritual, and How to Revive It

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are engines of distraction and cultural rot. They stand in front of the more difficult but more rewarding aspects of life: deep work, intimate connections with friends and loved ones, focused attention for hobbies with intrinsic rewards. By training users to crave constant novelty and the immediate approval of an... See more

Ritual has power. I learned that lesson early on. Growing up in the English countryside, my family wasn’t religious, but we observed folk celebrations that gave meaning to each season and structure to our days. We danced around the maypole on May Day, gathered around a St John’s Fire at Midsummer and sang in the streets at Michaelmas. These rituals... See more