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12/16/2025

12/15/2025

“We are at the brink of having more relationships with tech than with humans for the first time in the history of our species,” says UNC professor of psychology Dr. Mitch Prinstein. He warns this shift may fundamentally change our species.

“Why are we doing something to make someone else a profit rather than doing something that will affect my own well-being and my family’s and children’s well-being?” he asks.

Prinstein urges people to: “Put the device down, set a limit, and reclaim what it means to be human.”

12/08/2025

A September review of 71 studies with a total of nearly 100,000 participants found that heavy consumption of short-form video was associated with poorer cognition, especially in regard to attention spans and impulse control, based on a combination of behavioral tests and self-reported data.

From TikTok to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, short-form video content has become a cornerstone of just about every online platform. But increasingly, studies are finding associations between heavy consumption of short-form video and challenges with focus and self-control.

The research, though still early, seems to echo widespread concerns over “brain rot,” an internet slang term that the Oxford University Press defines as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state.”

A September review of 71 studies with a total of nearly 100,000 participants found that heavy consumption of short-form video was associated with poorer cognition, especially in regard to attention spans and impulse control, based on a combination of behavioral tests and self-reported data.

Despite growing alarm, some researchers say the long-term picture is still unclear.

Read more: nbcnews.app.link/l2KSmOP1OYb

12/03/2025

"I think it's a really interesting time for the literary community in Flint," Coyne said. "We certainly have literary chops, whether you're talking about Kelsey Ronan or Ben Hamper or Jonah Mixon-Webster or Semaj Brown.
There are lots of writers from Flint. But what I think has happened in the last 20 years in Flint is a lot of what we would see as being institutional anchors, typically through university English programs and stuff, a lot of those institutions in Flint have shifted the focus away from the humanities. On the one hand that can be frustrating because you're doing a lot of really just basic stuff (to organize people), just sending out emails, calling venues and asking if they'll host something or, inviting people to get in touch with each other. But it's also kind of exciting because when a writing community is tied to an institution, they also inherit all of the baggage that goes along with that institution versus when you're kind of building it on your own or you're building it with partners who are really enthusiastic about that work, you can grow in a much more spontaneous and imaginative way.”

Gothic Funk Press’s quarterly Salons feature writers and other literary minds discussing a wide range of topics.

12/02/2025

What’re your thoughts on this?

It’s the ultimate ick: trying to form a deep, lasting connection with a person who outsources original thought

11/20/2025

The Guardian revealed in August that nearly one in 10 of the fastest-growing YouTube channels globally only show AI-generated videos. Many qualify as “AI slop”, the term for low-quality, mass-produced content that is often nonsensical or surreal.

Platform reveals it hosts more than 1bn AI videos as it starts testing over next few weeks before global rollout

11/18/2025

Read a book.

Be honest with yourself: after a long, exhausting day at work, do you find yourself unwinding by doomscrolling on TikTok?