The New Lost Boys
Looking for Love in all the wrong places.
Nope, this is not about the 1987 movie with Kiefer Sutherland. A unique and troubling archetype is emerging—let’s call them “The New Lost Boys.” These are young men, adrift and feeling left behind, navigating a complex mix of societal expectations and perceived failures. As they struggle to find love, success, and purpose, they are often left feeling marginalized, especially as they watch their female peers succeed in education, career, and social life. Many of these young men have turned to the internet to fill the void, from relying on porn as a proxy for intimacy to seeking solace in AI companions. Unlike the heartwarming yet cautionary tale of the 2014 movie Her starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johansson, this reality feels bleaker, where AI-driven interactions only deepen isolation rather than addressing it.
Ironically, the very groups who lament low birth rates of white babies, particularly among White Christian Nationalists, ignore the fact that technology, not diversity, is widening the chasm of connection. No AI companion is bringing babies into the world—at least not yet. And while robot “relationships” might seem far-fetched, we’re not that far from a time when AI might attempt to fill every human gap, including intimacy. But as real relationships erode, what’s left is a generation of disillusioned, vulnerable young men primed to be preyed upon by the rhetoric of extremist movements.
Professor Scott Galloway, a well-known business professor who frequently discusses the concept of a "lost generation" in the context of young men today, particularly highlighting their struggles with economic uncertainty and a sense of disillusionment, often comparing their experiences to the "Lost Generation" of post-WWI era writers like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who felt similarly disoriented and lost after the war.
Disenfranchised and detached, many of these new lost boys have found an easy answer in the ethos of the MAGA movement, where they can finally feel seen, and that perceived slights can now be called grievances. Echoes of historical youth movements—Hitler’s Brownshirts come to mind—appear eerily similar, where the promise of belonging soon morphs into a willingness to serve questionable causes. History shows how these groups become more than just political actors; they become militant arms ready to act without question, without allegiance to democratic values or our Constitution.
The Nazis started used propaganda to a broad range of people and their problems. The propaganda aimed to exploit people’s fear of uncertainty and instability. These messages were aimed at the working class and the fear of unemployment. Jews and Communists also featured heavily in the Nazi propaganda as enemies of the German people. In 1933, the SS had 35,000 members. Up from 300 in 1929. Members of the SS were chosen based on their ‘racial purity’, blind obedience and fanatical loyalty to Hitler.
We are left with the unsettling question of whether those who feel unseen today may one day come to threaten the very fabric of society in their search for purpose. There is no clear data to quantify the size of this group, but it is likely in the millions.
As our institutions wrestle with this fractured landscape, what’s clear is that failing to address the root causes—of loneliness, of disenfranchisement, of societal imbalance—will leave room for history to repeat itself, only this time, driven by the very technologies we hoped would bring us together. If it was love they were looking for, they found it and acceptance in a movement that might change the course of America. As the nation decides this course next week, it is more important than ever to get out and vote and get out the vote. I voted early and am a proud “White Dude for Harris.”
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About the Author
Curt Doty current work and legacy lies in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and User Experience Design. He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Murf.ai, HeyGen, and DALL-E. His award winning work of entertainment branding includes Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, and TV Guide Channel.
He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx and AI Impact. He has lectured at universities including Full Sail, SCAD, Art Center College of Design and Chapman University. His AI consultancy RealmIQ helps enable business transformation in the Age of AI.
He is currently on the board of the Godfrey Reggio Foundation and serves as the marketing director for Performance Santa Fe.
© 2024 Curt Doty Company LLC. All rights reserved. RealmIQ is a division of the Curt Doty Company. Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher is not responsible for any AI errors or omissions.
An idea worth exploring, confronting sooner rather than later. Thank you for sharing!
Senior Managing Director
1moCurt Doty Very well-written & thought-provoking.
Thank you, Curt.