Productive Disagreements

I recently had the pleasure of viewing a presentation (which I've shared below) called "Productive Disagreements: How to Have Civil Conversations,” lead by Dr. Terri Easley-Giraldo. Hosted by Janette Jasperson of the International Education Office at JCCC, this event provides a relevant discourse on the current polarized nature of our society, and discusses a way … Continue reading Productive Disagreements

Social Media and Religious Syncretism

In the article “What Effect Has the Internet Had on Religion?,” published in The Guardian, author Aleks Krotoski claims that the importance of the internet in everyday life has become a destabilizing force on traditional religion. In order to stay relevant, it’s argued, religious organizations have moved their services online in order to reach wider … Continue reading Social Media and Religious Syncretism

Monocultural Hybridization

In the article “Can Monoculture Survive the Algorithm?,” published in Vox, author Kyle Chayka outlines two opposing concerns in the mass culture of entertainment. On one hand, digital streaming has resulted in a reduction of society’s ability to connect and relate through entertainment. The author states “The fear is that we exist in a fragmented … Continue reading Monocultural Hybridization

The Ineffectiveness of Online Advocacy

In the article “The Problem With Social-Media Protests,” published in The Atlantic, author Antonia Malchick argues that online social movements are likely to experience faster burnout and result in less actual policy change than in-person activism. Before the internet increased the speed at which information travels, it’s claimed, advocacy in general was slower growing, but … Continue reading The Ineffectiveness of Online Advocacy

2020

The title of this post. Enough said. In actuality, there are not enough words in all the tongues of the ages to describe the complexity of our collective experience this past year. We've witnessed a pandemic of globally disruptive proportions, political polarization, a hastening of economic stratification, and an overall fragmentation of social cohesion. The … Continue reading 2020