is social media real life?

To me, we pedestal “moving in silence” and those who are chronically offline because they don’t need to be seen to feel worthy. They don’t need our attention or validation. They are immune to the grand illness of our age, which is to believe that if it’s not logged, it’s not real.

Some Gen Z men are so scared of getting filmed they’ve stopped dating altogether. Rolling Stone reports a growing “dating paranoia” among young men who fear being filmed, mocked, or posted online. High schoolers describe freezing before sending texts or asking someone out, worried a rejection could become a viral “fail” on Snapchat or TikTok... See more

None of this suggests technological revolutions won’t bring more change and that virtual realities won’t encroach further on daily life. Just that there are natural barriers, a rearguard human resistance, slowing and perhaps even capping this advance. The physical world has already shown more staying power than many of us expected.

There is, of course, a life outside of the mirror maze. But we’ve become so accustomed to our life inside of it, that even when we’re not participating in it, we can’t help but see all of life as if it were for public consumption and attention. Things we do in private or semi-private become humiliation rituals because the assumption is that... See more

Before we get into the math on why this valuation is ridiculous, let's acknowledge what we're actually talking about here - they've built a business monetizing FOMO and status anxiety. The fact that they chose to name it after a fictional restaurant coveted by murderous psychopath is either brilliant marketing or concerning self-awareness.

In a generation fluent in algorithmic discovery, these offline moments and tangible items offer something digital feeds can’t replicate — proof of being there.