Anti-Social Age

Notes on Derek Thompson's Essay for The Atlantic

This neededness can come in several forms: social, economic, or communitarian. Our children and partners can depend on us for care or income. Our colleagues can rely on us to finish a project, or to commiserate about an annoying boss. Our religious congregations and weekend poker parties can count on us to fill a pew or bring the dip.

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

This is why I think the family as the primary atomic unit creates a foundational and necessary layer in society.

“social interaction is not very uncertain, because of the principle of reciprocity. If you say hello to someone, they’ll typically say hello back to you. If you give somebody a compliment, they’ll typically say thank you.” Many people, it seems, are not social enough for their own good. They too often seek comfort in solitude, when they would actua... See more

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

Our smallest actions create norms. Our norms create values. Our values drive behavior. And our behaviors cascade.

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

According to data gathered by the online reservations platform OpenTable, solo dining has increased by 29 percent in just the past two years. The No. 1 reason is the need for more “me time.”

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

Solo dining from outlier to trend

Some of this screen time is social, after a fashion. But sharing videos or texting friends is a pale imitation of face-to-face interaction

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

I think this argument/line of reasoning is not really explored well. Why is it obvious that it pales?

Men who watch television now spend seven hours in front of the TV for every hour they spend hanging out with somebody outside their home. The typical female pet owner spends more time actively engaged with her pet than she spends in face-to-face contact with friends of her own species. Since the early 2000s, the amount of time that Americans say th... See more

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

TV and Pets have replaced each other

Each one pushed open the door, walked to the counter, picked up a bag from the bar, and left. In the delicate choreography between kitchen and customer, not a word was exchanged. The space once reserved for that most garrulous social encounter, the bar hangout, had been reconfigured into a silent depot for customers to grab food to eat at home.

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

Socialization giving way to convenience

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

If Carr is right, modern technology’s always-open window to the outside world makes recharging much harder, leaving many people chronically depleted, a walking battery that is always stuck in the red zone. In a healthy world, people who spend lots of time alone would feel that ancient biological cue: I’m alone and sad; I should make some plans . Bu... See more

Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century

This is the money quote