For decades, the Super Bowl has been the last truly shared cultural moment in American life a night when nearly the entire country, regardless of politics or taste, watched the same game, the same commercials, and the same halftime show. New U.S.-only household data suggests that era is beginning to fray.

When Elon Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion, the reaction from elites was predictable. Wall Street mocked the price. Legacy media declared it reckless. Political insiders assumed Musk had made the costliest mistake of his career.