Experimental History The Decline of Deviance
Oct 30, 2025
Where has all the weirdness gone? The podcast explores a cultural decline in deviance, highlighting data that shows teens and adults are acting out less. It examines the stagnation of creativity dominated by franchises and the loss of diversity in internet culture. With residential mobility decreasing and bland homogeny in brands and architecture, the discussion raises the question of risk-avoidance and conformity in a safer society. Balancing safety with the need for unconventionality is deemed crucial for nurturing creativity.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Culture-Wide Decline In Deviance
- Deviance across many domains has declined, producing a culture-wide shift toward conventionality.
- This trend began before the internet and mixes positive safety gains with creative stagnation.
Teen Risky Behavior Has Fallen
- Teen risky behaviors (drinking, drugs, sex, fights) have dropped sharply since the 1990s.
- Teen pregnancy and other objective measures also plummeted, confirming survey trends.
Adult Deviance And Crime Are Down
- Adult antisocial behaviors and crime rates have declined substantially over recent decades.
- Even extreme forms like serial killing and cult formation have shown steep declines.