They keep showing up in your feed. You’re not sure how they get there, but they do. The videos are shot from a low angle, revealing unflattering views of nose hairs and dashboard reflections. Behind them, the car’s rear window glows with suburban sunlight. Within seconds, a stranger—wearing wraparound sunglasses, parked and impassioned—launches into a monologue about politics, modern dating, or the claim that self-checkout lanes are part of a plot to destroy America. We are l

You sit down to have coffee with a relative or an old friend that you haven’t seen for a while. Eventually, the conversation shifts to politics because, I mean, it’s hard to avoid. You don’t want to go there, but the conversation goes there. Then there’s a moment when the air changes. You can feel it before you hear it — the tightening, the quickening, the shift from frustration to shouting. And then the yelling begins. It’s unsettling, even when you’ve seen it coming. But ac

You watch the news — or scroll through your feed while trying to enjoy breakfast — and see a highly credible person getting grilled at a legislative hearing, while someone with the credibility of someone who howls at the moon gets a free pass and is treated like the keeper of sacred truth. Tell me that doesn’t make you want to scream! We like to think we’re good at telling what’s true and what’s false. Sometimes we are. Other times... well, let’s just say our brains occasiona

Do you feel like you are having an emotional tug‑of‑war with the internet? It’s a constant back‑and‑forth between “I love you” and “I need a nap.” I feel that way. Social media is such a strange digital ecosystem where outrage is the native language, angst is the background music, and everyone seems to be performing a version of themselves that’s way more indignant than reality. If the internet were junior high, your mom would say, “Just don’t sit with those kids at lunch!” I

So, how do you define credibility? These days, people tend to trust random individuals on TikTok or other social media platforms as reliable sources. Oh, how the idea of credibility has changed in the digital age. Instead of depending on trusted institutions, credentials, or professional expertise, people are increasingly relying on perceived authenticity and emotional connection with the guy wearing a backward baseball cap and sharing wisdom from the front seat of his Ford F

If you’ve ever watched someone passionately argue with a TikTok video narrated by a guy in a backward cap sitting in his pickup, congratulations — you’ve already met the Post‑Truth Era. It’s that cultural cul‑de‑sac where feelings outweigh facts, confidence outpaces competence, and your cousin’s X post somehow outranks the CDC. It’s also the era when credibility — once a stable, boring concept — now behaves like a cat: independent, unpredictable, and only occasionally willing

So I’m teaching this persuasion class, and I’ve been geeking out over something called the Theory of Reasoned Action. It sounds kind of academic, but honestly, it explains voting behavior better than a lot of the political commentary out there. And there’s A LOT of commentary out there. But once you hear it, you’ll start noticing it everywhere. Think about what it really feels like to vote. People like to pretend it’s a pure, private moment—just you, your ballot, and your own

If you’re trying to learn about political candidates by watching TV ads or scrolling through social media, you’re basically trying to understand a novel by only reading the table of contents. Campaign messages are carefully designed with strategy, precision, and just enough emotional flair to make you feel something—anything—without necessarily conveying much substance. It’s not that campaigns don’t want you to be informed; they just want you to be informed in a very specific

One of the great joys of the internet is thinking you’re in a lively debate with a real person... only to realize later that you're arguing with someone whose opinions are sponsored, just like their water bottle is. That’s modern communication: authenticity feels more like a vibe than a promise. The influencer economy is huge. Influencer Marketing Hub’s Benchmark Report estimated the industry reached about $22.2 billion in 2025, with brands working with over 100,000 paid crea

A communication hangover is that oddly familiar next-day fog where you replay a conversation and suddenly become convinced you overshared, undershared, talked too much, talked too little, sounded strange, looked strange, or accidentally revealed that you are, in fact, a slightly off-center person. It’s the mental equivalent of waking up and thinking, 'Did I really say that out loud?' Your brain starts running alternate timelines: What if I had said this instead? What if I had

I’m sure it’s a safe bet you’ve come across someone deep in a conspiracy rabbit hole. Sometimes it’s a stranger online with a username like UltimatePatriotBro who posts in ALL CAPS. Other times, it’s your neighbor who always says, “I did my own research,” which is just code for “I watched a YouTube video by some random guy.” And sometimes… sometimes… It’s someone you love, someone you truly want to keep in your life, even if they believe some world leaders are alien reptiles