The great withdrawal — "social exit," the cozy web, the intentional internet

Across every processing organ, the same river: Gen Z retreating from loud public platforms toward small, private, invite-scale spaces; "belonging over visibility"; migration to Substack and Bluesky; anti-doomscroll sentiment hardening into an identity. Marketers frame it as a channel shift; subcultures frame it as coming home.

The collective is rationing its own attention — and calling the ration a lifestyle.