It's shared experience that gives you a lot to talk about. But more importantly, it has a social contract of just sitting idly by and not actively interacting,

It's shared experience that gives you a lot to talk about. But more importantly, it has a social contract of just sitting idly by and not actively interacting, which can be very helpful for feelings of anxiety, unease and responsibility to keep talking and doing something interesting when you're next to this new person. Instead of worrying about all that, you can just sit, be quiet and don't even worry that much about how you look — it's dark anyway, and they're probably looking at the screen, not you.