An “introvert economy” has come to define America’s post-lockdown culture, according to the Manhattan Institute’s Allison Schrager in Bloomberg Opinion.
“The time at home made Americans less fun,” Schrager reported Monday. “In general Americans are going out less. And odds are it will stick: It is the youngest adults who are going out less, and when they do go out, it is earlier.” Even when they do go out, she notes, “the data show they are also less likely to drink.”
“Gen Z is shaping up to be the most sober generation in US history,” Schrager wrote. “Singles are also less likely to approach each other in public, preferring the anonymity and clear social boundaries of online meeting. This means less need to be out.”
When making plans for the weekends, more Americans are trading real-life social interactions for at-home digital entertainment, whether it be video games or television, according to Labor Department data Schrager cites. Americans across the board are also having less sex.
The data reflects an accelerating trend since lockdowns: more and more Americans are seduced by cheap dopamine hits from the couch. Americans emerged from government-mandated lockdowns feeling more isolated and depressed. They were left to cope with the comforts of Netflix and an easy stream of addictive ready-to-eat ultra-processed food. According to the Shelby Report, a Georgia-based publication for the food and grocery industry, snack sales on items such as cookies, crackers, chips, and more jumped $10 billion from 2020 to 2022.
