This week on Upstream, we’re releasing an episode of Econ102. Erik Torenberg and Noah Smith talk with Katherine Dee (@default_friend) about dating in the 21st century, differences in dating markets, the impact of feminism, technology's influence on cultural creativity, societal shifts, and the state of online subcultures.

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🎙️Econ102 with Noah Smith

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LINKS:

Default Friend: https://default.blog/

Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/

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X / TWITTER:

@default_friend

@noahpinion

@eriktorenberg

@turpentinemedia

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

Dating markets vary dramatically by city and class, with different standards of attraction and success between tech hubs, creative centers, and smaller cities.
COVID's social damage persists, with 30% of young men sexless and many third spaces (bars, cafes) permanently lost, weakening natural meeting opportunities.
Social media has replaced college as the primary connector, fundamentally changing how young people form relationships across geographic boundaries.
While online gender discourse is extreme, real-world dating attitudes are moderate - most people aren't living out manosphere or radical feminist ideologies.
"Situationships" dominate modern dating - undefined, low-commitment arrangements reflecting broader avoidant attachment trends and fear of direct communication.
Social platforms evolved from enhancing real-world connections to replacing them, prompting calls for increased "friction" to encourage meaningful interaction.
Modern dating faces new challenges: declining testosterone, political division, AI relationships, and dating app culture replacing organic connection.
Dating advice has overcomplicated simple human connections - basic attraction and compatibility monetized into unnecessary complexity.
Cultural influence has fragmented from central platforms into dispersed channels, making trends harder to track and predict.