Why do we keep moving away from the real, physical world into layers of symbols and screens? This episode traces a deep human pattern: from playing sports to betting on them, from gathering in town squares to chatting with AI companions, from rituals and concerts to apps and streams. Along the way, we’ll explore the psychology of dopamine loops and escapism, the economics of platforms and attention markets, and the theories of McLuhan, Baudrillard, Debord, and Merleau-Ponty. Are we losing something essential when we trade embodiment for abstraction—or are we simply expanding what it means to be human?