Hikikomori: Why are so many Japanese men refusing to leave their rooms?
Hikikomori might be a Japanese term, but its not a Japanese phenomenon.  I know dozens of my American friends who do the same thing -- hide from seemingly unprecedented expectations and similarly daunting odds, hide from society in alcohol, in television, in dual 2560x1600 monitors, even in exercise.(My room was video games, and I'm glad I found the doorknob.)