Netflixication of Young Men

What happens to society or businesses if young men never have any reason to leave home?

Historically, young men of a certain age, let’s say 18, want to leave home. The reasons are well known and revolve around the idea that independence will allow for making money (or going to college to gain a skill), entertainment, socializing and dating. Everyone wants to ascend in Maslow’s Hierarchy.

But rules of the game have changed.

Young men may not be enthusiastic to join a work environment where they realize they are not as unique as mommy/daddy/school said they were and now have to put in the time and effort and play the office politics to climb through corporate ranks. And even if they do, there is the constant threat of layoffs/outsourcing/automation and stagnating wages. On the flipside, if the only available jobs are in a low-paying service industry, it is challenging to support oneself, let alone raising a family or saving for retirement. To make it all worse, possibly crippling student debt.

Add in that marriage and settling down is not an exciting milestone. Hanging overhead is the experience of complex relationships and pain resulting from divorced parents. Add in the high bars set by heavily-curated lifestyles seen on social media creating unrealistic expectations for the perfect mate.

So, if you can live at home, why leave?

Nowadays platforms allow for more, quickly, now. But it’s not the technology that is exciting in itself; it’s the change in human behavior. So, what if men could fulfill all their needs, on demand, while living at home?

Entertainment: 5000 cable channels, Netflix, Hulu, Xbox, YouTubeFood: Grubhub, Ubereats, PostmatesSocializing: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, texting, Reddit, DiscourseAdult: infinite tube streaming sites

The shift in leaving home may not be permanent, but what is the impact of postponing the transition to adulthood for five years or even ten years?

The potential economic impact is significant. Take the home construction industry as an example. If historically the average person buys three homes over a lifetime, and Netflixication reduces this is to 2.5, the ripple effects are massive. Construction labor, building materials, landscaping, appliance manufacturing, furniture, retail, architecture, engineering, insurance, mortgages, transportation, wholesale, and warehousing.

We have built religious, legal, and economic rules around the expected social norms and life trajectory. Are we capable of dealing with them becoming frayed or delayed?