Social‑media behavior is shifting from visible, broadcast posting toward two modes: passive, TV‑like consumption and private, small‑group messaging (DMs/Discord). Early indicators include large declines in active use of mainstream dating apps and surveys reporting youth favoring real‑world connections or private groups.
— If sustained, this reconfigures how political messaging, outrage cycles, and cultural signaling operate — weakening mass public shaming but strengthening closed‑group radicalization and changing how platforms should be regulated.
Arnold Kling
2026.01.02
100% relevant
Noah Smith’s column cited in the newsletter explicitly claims a trend toward passive consumption and private DMs and notes major dating apps lost tens of millions of monthly active users since 2022.
Matthew Yglesias
2026.01.02
52% relevant
The essay notes fandom and attention have shifted (more ephemeral clips, fragmented viewing); this ties to the documented migration from public broadcasting and mass forums to private messaging and small‑group communities that remake how cultural attention is produced and sustained.
Louis Elton
2026.01.02
60% relevant
A central claim is that resistance (phone smashing, 'dumbphone' trends) faces the network‑effect penalty of social isolation; this ties to the documented shift from visible broadcast posting toward private small‑group messaging and the structural barrier that makes mass 'opt‑out' movements fragile.
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