The pandemic's social isolation created a lasting deficit in dating skills, particularly for young adults. Sociologists note that dating is a learned skill, not like riding a bike. Missing two formative years of practice has left many struggling to build relationships post-lockdown.

Modern dating apps create a dynamic where a small percentage of men monopolize sexual partners, leaving many others sexless. This technologically-driven outcome mirrors 'effective polygyny,' an ancestral mating pattern, rather than creating a new social problem.

Historically, unpartnered young men caused societal disruption. This is less prevalent today because digital media provides titrated doses of sexual satisfaction (porn), status-seeking (video games), and community (screens), pacifying them out of real-world disruptive action. This creates men who are "useless" rather than "dangerous."

Online interaction is not a harmless supplement but an addictive substitute for real life. Its convenience replaces face-to-face contact, preventing young people from developing and maintaining the social skills necessary for genuine connection.

Chris Williamson's "Male Sedation Hypothesis" posits that high rates of male sexlessness aren't leading to social unrest because digital distractions are pacifying them. Video games, porn, and social media anesthetize men from their innate status-seeking and reproductive-seeking behaviors, promoting lethargy over action.

Instead of being suppressed, male horniness should be celebrated as a primary driver for 'leveling up' in life. The desire for partnership encourages men to improve their fitness, career, and social skills. The rise of porn and platforms like OnlyFans subverts this natural incentive, contributing to a crisis of inaction and loneliness.

Ross Douthat points to a surprising social trend as a warning for a future of abundance. Despite unprecedented freedom, people are having less sex and forming fewer relationships. This suggests that addictive digital entertainment can overpower even fundamental human drives, a bleak indicator for a society with unlimited leisure.

Historically, sexual novelty was discovered gradually within a relationship, with each new step acting as a bonding experience. By exposing young people to endless variety via porn, this powerful bonding mechanism is front-loaded and depleted, potentially making stable monogamy less compelling.

Your social environment is a pillar of sexual health. Normalizing a lack of sex or complaining about partners within a friend group can create contagious pessimism. Surrounding yourself with people who prioritize their relationships can lead to better sexual behaviors.