You cannot scroll on social media, watch television or even make a purchase online without being inundated with advertisements for sports gambling and prediction markets.Companies are spending millions to make sure we see them, and their primary target audience is young men.Data from the Institute for Family Studies confirms just how deeply this has taken hold: roughly one-third (35%) of young men gamble daily or weekly.
This is not the only digital habit growing among young men today.Nearly half (42%) watch pornography daily or weekly, and most young men (86%) play video games daily or weekly.This is what some people refer to as the "addiction economy." As a pastor, I know young men who engage in these things every day.
And, to be honest, I’m not surprised.More than half (61%) of young men say they often feel they have little control over the things happening to them.
Coping with this pervasive felt lack of agency drives them toward digital escapes that offer a temporary illusion of control, thrill or connection.DAVID MARCUS: BRAVE NEW WORLD OF PREDICTION MARKETS CAN MAKE US ALL INSIDE TRADERSYet, we know two crucial things about today’s young men: they’re ambitious — and they’re vulnerable.An overwhelming majority (84%) of young men say they have ambitious plans for their future.
They want to grow.They want to succeed, and in some sense feel that they’re capable of doing so.Young men are coping with the obvious downside of the ‘Addiction Economy.’ (iStock)But they’re also profoundly isolated and frustrated.
They’re facing a world where the paths to traditional success — like career success, homeownership, marriage, children and more — feel washed away or blocked.They struggle with the ability to make friends with other young men or relate to young women.AI IS CHANGING MODERN DATING, BUT EXPERTS WARN IT'S MAKING PEOPLE 'RELATIONALLY STUPID'The addiction economy demands young men’s attention, time and money, and undermines their visio...