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I blame hustle culture and self-improvement gurus. They have hammered the message "if you're not making yourself more marketable, or grinding to make money, then you're failing".

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This is two pronged 1. the attention economy with the internet 2. reflective of a lack of social and economic safety net. The Western world had a strong safety net which allowed for the pursuing of hobbies and the time to do so. Now I see the US especially becoming like my youth in India (and China) where hobbies are fleeting and you need to grind and make it monetarily and career wise. So working a high pressure job like a FAANG rarely leaves time to pursue a hobby. Without a strong safety net and a feeling of security people do not feel like they have the time and resources to devote to a hobby. Also does not help that our free time has been hijacked by the internet and social media so we are almost lobotomized.

> Also does not help that our free time has been hijacked by the internet and social media so we are almost lobotomized.

I feel this might be the biggest factor. Hobbies were one of major ways to deal with boredom and mundaneness of life. Nowadays, there's endless content online, shows, video games, restaurants, concerts, travel destinations, gadgets that people can consume and basically never feel bored.

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