(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The TechBros: The Capitalism of End User Solitude. [1] ['Greg Dworkin', 'Peter Olandt', 'Dan K', 'Bill In Portland Maine', 'Rob In Vermont'] Date: 2026-08-31 Maintaining the solitude of their users means greater profit. How to do this has occupied their thoughts. ‘Solitude has become a resource deliberately sought out and exploited by tech companies’ -Le Monde https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/08/30/solitude-has-become-a-resource-deliberately-sought-out-and-exploited-by-tech-companies_6756993_19.html You can read it for free here: https://archive.is/c23oK Ah, so, les. In a paper published by France’s Fondation Jean Jaurès think tank on Wednesday, August 26, essayist and senior civil servant Paul Klotz, author of Contre la Brutalisation de nos Existences (“Against the Brutalization of our Existences”), describes how economic players, especially the GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft), have contributed to creating isolation among individuals to sell products and services designed to alleviate the very loneliness their platforms help generate. The linked paper is obviously in French; it is fascinating and well presented. It is quite long and well worth reading for francophones; I know there are a few here. Ok, on with the interview. In your view, we can now speak of a ‘capitalism of solitude.’ What does that mean? I define “capitalism of solitude” as an economic system in which solitude has shifted from being an unintentional phenomenon to a resource that is deliberately sought out and exploited. This is mostly driven by digital players whose services produce, maintain and profit from solitude, particularly through social media or AI companions. Such a system is not the result of chance or circumstance. Even if it is formally impossible to prove intent, several converging indicators show there is an economic interest in creating and fueling isolation. What mechanisms does this model rely on? The business model for platforms, as we know, depends on how much time a user spends on them. The more time someone spends browsing and scrolling on a network, the more personal data they provide, which can then be sold to advertisers seeking their attention. To maximize usage time, platforms implement addictive mechanisms that distance users from their real-life social circles. So, the first link in the system produces isolation, as the user is literally captivated. Their social skills deteriorate with every scroll, and the cost of leaving the platform becomes increasingly high. You can read on with the free link [attached today; yesterday, it seems the Reuters link caused a problem in Archive?] for me; the following paragraph sums up the horrible reality. Why is this an economic issue? The impacts of dependence on social media and emotional AI are well known and documented: deterioration of interpersonal and cognitive skills, reduced ability to concentrate and harm to individuals’ mental health. Such negative effects on mental and physical health affect not only those directly impacted, sometimes with serious consequences, but also society as a whole. The mental health costs for someone suffering from loneliness are 10% higher than for someone who is not. Not to mention the less-easily measured, but far more widespread, effects on overall productivity. The rate of people not claiming their rights soars with loneliness, as do difficulties in escaping unemployment. I will link the following Paper: Potential Dangers of Emotional AI Agents in Society https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5397038 Note: It has not been peer-reviewed yet, but it gives a good summary. For what they are worth, my musings. There have been so many warnings over the years that I often wondered about the intentions of the TechBros. The obvious intention is capital gain; that is too simple an objective. Divide and conquer is a very ancient concept. Society has been shattered by the politics of division and exceptionalism. No wonder they hate socialists. Once you isolate people, you open the door to conspiracy theorists and extremists; your AI friend will fulfill all your darkest desires by a drip-drip method based on every question that comes to mind. It’s almost an irresistible feed because it leads you down a self-satisfying path; you can believe that all your thoughts are “normal,” especially when you are isolated from other humans and their thoughts. It is all fake. Every day we are besieged by a flood of information; your AI friend offers you a false “safe” place. A virtual safety blanket that ensures the only voice you “hear” is your own. We have opened up a can of worms, and the TechBros are more than willing to exploit it; think of Elon and his radical extremism. That is why many of us regard them as evil. I also think unchecked, rampant, and unregulated capitalism carries much of the blame for allowing them to have all but unlimited resources. Unintentional? No. I do not believe that it is. A Morning Muse ~A [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/8/31/800091693/community/the-techbros-the-capitalism-of-solitude/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/