Social media takes a lot of heat for spreading disinformation, but Francesca Tripodi thinks we should look more closely at another fixture of our browsers: search engines. On this episode of "Civic Genius" we learn more about how the same forces that shape our social media diets also drive the information we find when we search online, and how we can boost our own media literacy.
Civil Rights Ldr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking into mike after being released fr. prison for leading boycott.
Sixty-two years after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s pen touches paper in a Birmingham jail cell, I contemplate the walls that still divide us. Walls constructed in concrete to enclose Alabama jails, but in Silicon Valley, designed code, algorithms, and newsfeeds. King's legacy and prophetic words from that jail cell pierce our digital age with renewed urgency.
The words of that infamous letter burned with holy discontent – not just anger at injustice, but a more profound spiritual yearning for a beloved community. Witnessing our social fabric fray in digital spaces, I, too, feel that same holy discontent in my spirit. King wrote to white clergymen who called his methods "unwise and untimely." When I scroll through my social media feeds, I see modern versions of King's "white moderate" – those who prefer the absence of tension to the presence of truth. These are the people who click "like" on posts about racial harmony while scrolling past videos of police brutality. They share MLK quotes about dreams while sleeping through our contemporary nightmares.
Then and now, the church often stands guilty of what King called "shallow understanding from people of goodwill." In 1963, it was the clergy who counseled patience while Black bodies bore the weight of segregation. Too many religious leaders preach digital decorum, yet our social platforms burn with hatred, conspiracy, and tribal warfare. Replacing Bull Connor's dogs with content moderators, lunch counter segregation with filtered feeds, and water hoses with mute buttons and 180-day account suspension (ask me how I know).
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James Baldwin's searing question comes to mind – "Do I really want to be integrated into a burning house?" – takes on new meaning in our digital age. The virtual public square has become its kind of burning house, where truth smolders beneath the ashes of misinformation and AI-generated falsehoods. As a theologian and pastor, I ask: What does seeking a beloved community in digital spaces designed for division mean? How do we practice digital integration when our very platforms are built on the foundation of segregated realities?
The present composition of the digital square reveals this as truth. When conspiracy theories about election fraud spread unchecked through church WhatsApp groups, when Sunday school Facebook pages become breeding grounds for political polarization, and when Twitter threads about Scripture devolve into tribal warfare, we witness a troubling reality. A reality where we have made peace with our divisions.
The letter from Birmingham jail prefaces how our digital wilderness mirrors the spiritual wilderness he described. King expressed grave disappointment in the church's failure to live to its authentic call. Contemporary religious institutions often function more like digital thermometers rather than thermostats regulating or changing our polarized culture. Yet there is hope.
Just as King saw the potential for redemption in the church of his day, I see possibilities for redemption. King called on "creative extremism" – not the extremism of hatred or division, but the extreme love that refuses to accept the comfortable constraints of our digital cages. This creative extremism might involve religious leaders intentionally building digital and physical spaces for genuine dialogue across differences. It might also involve spiritual disciples employing their social media presence as a ministry of reconciliation rather than a platform for sacrilegious and non-democratic proclamations. Also, it necessitates each of us to become digital architects of a beloved community, deliberately curating spaces where truth and grace can meet.
Dr. King, I believe, wrote his letter not just to critique but to call forth. Believing in the possibility of transformation – not just of laws and systems, but of hearts and minds. In our digital age, we need that same prophetic imagination. The walls of our digital cells are high, but they are not impenetrable. I wonder if we will dare to break them down, brick by binary brick, and build something better in their place.
Build a Software Development Team to Running Your Business Growth. Software Engineers on the project discuss a database design workflow and technical issues in a tech business office.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly disrupting America’s job market. Within the next decade, positions such as administrative assistants, cashiers, postal clerks, and data entry workers could be fully automated. Although the World Economic Forum expects a net increase of 78 million jobs, significant policy efforts will be required to support millions of displaced workers. The Trump administration should craft a comprehensive plan to tackle AI-driven job losses and ensure a fair transition for all.
As AI is expected to reshape nearly 40% of workers’ skills over the next five years, investing in workforce development is crucial. To be proactive, the administration should establish partnerships to provide subsidized retraining programs in high-demand fields like cybersecurity, healthcare, and renewable energy. Providing tax incentives for companies that implement in-house reskilling initiatives could further accelerate this transition.
To ensure inclusivity, community technology centers and libraries equipped with online courses could be deployed in rural and underserved areas, helping workers across the country adapt to the evolving economy.
AI disproportionately affects regions reliant on clerical and manufacturing jobs, exacerbating local economic hardships. Establishing “economic diversification zones” in these communities—offering tax breaks, grants, and infrastructure investments—would attract growth-oriented industries such as advanced manufacturing, green energy, and technology startups, fostering broader economic resilience.
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Rural areas, however, face a bigger challenge: they are among the least served by technology infrastructure, including high-speed internet. This digital divide limits access to the tools and resources necessary to participate in emerging AI-driven industries, putting these communities at risk of being left further behind. Many of these areas form the backbone of the Trump administration’s voter base, making their inclusion in the AI economy both an economic imperative and a political necessity. Without targeted investments to bridge this gap, rural regions may miss out on the opportunities AI could bring, compounding existing economic disparities.
Displaced workers often face unemployment and financial instability. Expanding benefits to include income-based retraining and extending coverage duration would offer essential relief. Decoupling healthcare from employment could also reduce stress and uncertainty. Meanwhile, portable benefits—allowing retirement and healthcare coverage to follow workers across jobs—would mitigate career-transition risks and bolster economic resilience.
Employers in emerging industries often struggle to fill vacancies despite high unemployment in declining sectors. The Trump administration must facilitate partnerships between educational institutions, labor unions, and employers to align training programs with industry needs. Apprenticeships and internships in fields like AI and machine learning could provide workers with on-the-job experience.
Micro-credentialing programs—short, specialized training modules—would allow displaced workers to transition into new roles without requiring full degrees, ensuring a faster and more efficient shift to growing industries.
Barriers such as inadequate childcare, eldercare, and inflexible work arrangements disproportionately affect women and low-income families. Subsidizing childcare and eldercare could enable more individuals to pursue retraining and employment. Encouraging remote work and flexible scheduling would expand opportunities for workers in rural areas and those with caregiving responsibilities.
The integration of AI and automation into the workforce represents both a challenge and an opportunity. By investing in retraining programs, economic diversification, and robust social safety nets, the Trump administration could empower workers to navigate this transformative period.
However, given the administration's policy direction, which deprioritizes investments in social safety nets, workforce retraining, and regional economic development, it is unlikely that these comprehensive changes will be pursued. Without a significant shift in priorities, many of the most vulnerable workers will face the full brunt of automation-driven job losses without sufficient support. This stark reality underscores the urgent need for a forward-looking strategy to address these issues head-on. Ironically, this burden will fall most heavily on the administration's strongest source of support—rural communities and blue-collar workers—further deepening the challenges they face.
Robert Cropf is a professor of political science at Saint Louis University.
“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” — Annie Dillard
There was a time, not so long ago, when holiday cards were the means by which acquaintances updated us on their lives. Often featuring family photos with everyone dressed up, or perhaps casual with a seaside or mountainside backdrop, it was understood this was a “best shot” curated to feature everybody happily together.
Those holiday cards were eagerly opened, shared and even saved. Occasionally they might broach boundaries of good taste, perhaps featuring a photo of the sender’s new Lexus shining brightly as the Christmas star, or containing more pages than an IKEA assembly pack and listing the fifth grader’s achievements. But most of the time these cards conveyed the annual family update and welcome holiday cheer.
Now social media spreads such cheer throughout the year — holiday cards that do not stop. In the past, we were included on others’ card lists; now we are their “followers,” and they ours. Everyone spends lots of time exhibiting, checking likes, sending “stories,” updating statuses, etc. In other words, time alone with our phones.
Yet, in this constant barrage of “socialization” many feel isolated, even apathetic.
Playing to an audience is often fodder for personal discontent, despite large entourages. Besides, do we really care what our college roommate had for dinner last night when we haven’t seen her for 20 years? There is no real human connection through social media. We are not experiencing life first-hand, but rather in a fast-changing virtual reality.
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It is a great irony of our age that, although we are more connected, we are less so. Look around at an airport, a waiting room, a grocery line. Most people are staring at their phones as if they’re magic mirrors, engaging only with the device in their hand.
And of course there’s this: What are you not doing while fixating on your screen?
Still, what’s the harm?
Plenty, according to social scientists, including increased depression and escalating suicide rates. Young people, whose social network is mostly electronic and whose validation depends upon it, are often taunted and preyed upon by those hiding behind online anonymity.
Teens’ unsophisticated willingness to buy into the glossy accounts of others’ fabulous lives causes increasingly low self-esteem, producing overriding dissatisfaction with their own lives. They compare their relatively tame — normal — lives with those of the more beautiful, more interesting, more sociable, which to their inexperienced eyes looks to be basically everyone else.
Increasing evidence of toxicity and damage is emerging, especially for our children. Johns Hopkins, Yale and others, have published articles on the detrimental effects of introducing electronic media too early, and the surgeon general has called for a warning label on social media platforms.
The surprising thing is that this is surprising. Cause and effect, and comparable to the one-child policy instituted in China in 1979 that resulted in too many baby boys (males, culturally preferred, females aborted.) Years later: not enough girls to marry the surplus of boys. Predictable. Facebook was launched in 2004, opening the door to social platforms, and we are just now starting to realize its detrimental effects?
In the great sweep of social media, illusion reigns with its inherent falseness, from the seemingly innocuous act of simple selection — not posting unflattering photos — to photo manipulation and digital Botox. Yet, have you ever, even once, heard anyone say, “Everyone loves her because she is so perfect”? It is never perfection we connect with: It is humanness.
Thanks to increasing access to this lightning-fast, but tinny, media, we now have young adults who would more likely leave their grandmother at the mall than their cell phone. Phones feel like their connection to the world. But are they? Listening to Grandma’s stories is likely a better, and certainly more rewarding, connection.
Life isn’t curated updates, not just “our story” playing out, but the stories we share, experiencing this time and this place together.
Rarely have we faced anything that so permeates the psyches of our lives, particularly those of the most vulnerable. Now, with brilliant AI breaking over the horizon, we tend to forget what is important. We may be able to find all the answers, but do we even know the questions?
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — Mary Oliver
Curate it and post it? Or live it?
Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice."
Kristina Becvar and David L. Nevins, co-publishers of The Fulcrum, announced recently that effective Jan. 1, Hugo Balta, The Fulcrum’s director of solutions journalism and DEI initiatives, will serve as executive editor. What follows is a message from Balta about his new responsibility.
In the aftermath of this year’s contentious presidential election, it is imperative to heal a democracy fractured by polarization, emphasizing the importance of dialogue, accountability, and inclusive and transparent governance.
Journalism plays a pivotal role in upholding democratic values and ensuring the health of democratic systems. As our country faces complex challenges, the significance of a free and independent press becomes increasingly evident.
The Fulcrum fosters public discourse by providing a platform for diverse voices and opinions. The national news outlet amplifies marginalized perspectives through news articles, opinion pieces and investigative reports, fostering an inclusive dialogue vital for a thriving democracy.
As The Fulcrum’s executive editor, I’m grateful for the opportunity to take a collaborative approach to paving the path forward to a more informed and engaged citizenry, fortifying the foundations of democracy.
While many newsrooms extensively cover politics, there is a lack of focus on democracy itself — the electoral and governmental systems that shape our nation. So, how can we meet this demand, especially after a divisive election year? The answer lies in embracing solutions journalism.
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Earlier, I wrote about the concept of solutions journalism, which aims to foster an environment that tackles the challenges faced by our democracy by promoting civic engagement, equity and constructive discourse. By shifting the focus from merely reporting on problems to highlighting responses (to those problems), thought leaders and journalists can contribute to a more informed and empowered populace.
People across the country feel frustrated and disillusioned with U.S. politics and the journalism that reports on it. Coverage in mainstream media often focuses on extremes, poll numbers, accusations and sensational statements. My charge is to captain The Fulcrum in providing people with what they truly desire from news outlets: information that helps them comprehend and navigate the complexities of the world around them.
Many people's emotions are running high right now. Elections often bring out a wide range of feelings, whether pride and optimism for those who are pleased with the results or disappointment and frustration from those who aren’t. After a long and grueling election season, we need to connect with and not avoid one another.
In times of high conflict, it's common for people to split into two opposing groups and view each other negatively. This can lead to generalizations and name-calling, which often dehumanize the other side and can escalate tensions. A more productive approach is to seek a deeper understanding of the complex factors that contribute to different perspectives. Doing so can help reduce polarization and foster more constructive dialogue.
As a solutions journalism practitioner, I leverage Complicating the Narratives, which helps journalists find new ways to report on controversial issues and polarizing politics. It draws on the experience of experts in conflict mediation. When reporters use these strategies, they listen better, ask more revealing questions, effectively introduce opposing viewpoints and embrace nuance in their reports. They learn to tell more accurate, richer and fuller stories.
Journalists are trained to view their role as chroniclers of history rather than participants in it. This “on the sidelines” approach is rooted in the belief that involvement could compromise their objectivity, potentially positioning them as active participants rather than impartial observers of the situations they are reporting on.
Objectivity proposes that there are two sides to every story. However, there are many perspectives, and the ones most often left out are from marginalized communities whose representation is absent from newsrooms. That is why I subscribe to transparency in the pursuit of truth.
Acknowledging my biases, I surround myself with people who do not share the same experiences, backgrounds and ideologies. We ensure fair and accurate coverage by “getting on the playing field” and engaging in discourse and debate about story coverage, focus, those who tell the stories and those who are heard.
Journalists are tasked with assisting the public in engaging in self-governance in a responsible and informed manner. This responsibility underscores the importance of a free and independent press, recognized as vital to democracy and enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The founders understood that the success of the American republic's democratic experiment depended on the unrestricted exchange of information and ideas.
While the road to recovery may be challenging, a collective commitment to understanding and cooperation can foster a more resilient and unified democracy.
As The Fulcrum’s executive editor, I am equal to the task of highlighting how journalism contributes to strengthening democracy and its functions and challenges in an ever-evolving media landscape. This function is essential for an informed citizenry, as it allows the public to make educated decisions and engage meaningfully in civic life.
Ultimately, a democracy's strength lies in its ability to adapt, listen and grow in the face of adversity.
