“You can debate all sorts of things about how the texture of American life has changed. What you can’t debate is the sheer, objective, existential fact that Americans are more alone than ever.”

Why are we spending more time alone than ever? More importantly, why do we seem to prefer this solitude? Journalist Derek Thompson unpacks the rise of what he calls the “Anti-Social Century.” Each leap of technology hasn’t just made our lives easier, it’s made it lonelier. But this isn’t just about feeling isolated; it’s about how we’re choosing solitude, which in turn is rewiring our brains to prefer screens over people.