Anti-Social Age

Notes on Derek Thompson's Essay for The Atlantic

If the Amish approach to technology is radical in its application, it recognizes something plain and true: Although technology does not have values of its own, its adoption can create values, even in the absence of a coordinated effort. For decades, we’ve adopted whatever technologies removed friction or increased dopamine, embracing what makes lif... See more

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

The real problem here, the nature of America’s social crisis, is that most Americans don’t seem to be reacting to the biological cue to spend more time with other people.

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

The pain of loneliness is not leading to a socialization response

But convenience can be a curse. Our habits are creating what Atalay has called a “century of solitude.” This is the anti-social century.

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

The tyranny of convenience emerges again.

The media theorist Marshall McLuhan once said of technology that every augmentation is also an amputation. We chose our digitally enhanced world. We did not realize the significance of what was being amputated.

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

The most dramatic tendency that Sayer uncovered is that single men without kids—who have the most leisure time—are overwhelmingly likely to spend these hours by themselves. And the time they spend in solo sedentary leisure has increased, since 2003, more than that of any other group Sayer tracked. This is unfortunate because, as Sayer wrote, “well-... See more

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

In 2023, 74 percent of all restaurant traffic came from “off premises” customers—that is, from takeout and delivery

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

Most restaurants know are take out operations.

But some participants seemed drawn to any conspiracy theory so long as it was intended to destroy the established order. Members of this cohort commonly harbored racial or economic grievances. Perhaps more important, Petersen said, they tended to feel socially isolated. These aggravated loners agreed with many dark pronouncements, such as “I need c... See more

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

Anti-establishment emergence

In the 1960s, Irwin Altman, a psychologist at the Naval Medical Research Institute, in Bethesda, Maryland, co-developed a friendship formula characterized by increasing intimacy.

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

Epley sees the exponential growth of AI companions as a real possibility. “You can set them up to never criticize you, never cheat on you, never have a bad day and insult you, and to always be interested in you.” Unlike the most patient spouses, they could tell us that we’re always right. Unlike the world’s best friend, they could instantly respond... See more

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

Frictionless everything is another manifestation of the tyranny of convenience.

Convenience becomes more appealing as the bigger stuff in life (career, health, etc) become harder. That’s why it is an inverted function…the more difficult the big things are, the more appealing convenience and frictionless in everything else becomes.