When Hortense Powdermaker Studied Hollywood
This anthropologist's research on contemporary American society probes the tensions between business and art in the film world.
Chinese Peasants Taught the USDA to Farm Organically in 1909
A hundred years later, we are still learning.
Stockholm Syndrome
What really happened that summer day in 1973? And what does it reveal about our cultural attitudes toward violence?
The 4 Questions to Ask before You Unplug
If you're concerned about the internet's effects on the world and on yourself, unplugging might not be the answer.
Can Science Fiction Predict the Future of Technology?
Science fiction isn’t limited to predicting tech developments: It’s more broadly concerned with imagining possible futures, or alternative presents.
The Case for Lowering the Voting Age
If the standard we hold for who can vote is the consent of the governed, why shouldn’t children be included?
What the White House Needs to Know about Managing “Screen Time”
White House officials, like parents, are learning how limiting screen time can lead to better focus. But what does "screen time" really mean?
The Language Wars
As a society becomes increasingly unstable, linguistic innovation happens more rapidly.
The Glamorous Tradition of Hollywood Lifestyle Advice
For more than a century, Hollywood has been offering Americans lifestyle advice on how to live better, and the public has been gobbling it up.
How Trump’s Twitter Presidency Hijacked Hopes For E-Democracy
The first live-tweeting presidency resembles the broadcast-era version of democracy more than the kind of democracy the internet was supposed to enable.