The Conversation

'Whisper networks' thrive when women lose faith in formal systems of reporting sexual harassment

Written by Carrie Ann Johnson, Postdoctoral Scholar of Communication, Iowa State University

Quiet warnings can protect women from sexual harassment.lekcej/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Whisper networks – informal channels that women use to warn others about sexual harassment, abuse or assault – take root because formal reporting systems can...

Working in isolation can pose mental health challenges – here’s what anyone can learn from how gig workers have adapted

Written by Brittany Lambert, Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, Indiana University

Coffee shops can be a "third space" – not home or the office – where remote or gig workers can go to feel less isolated.Granger Wootz/Tetra images via Getty Images

In the wake of the pandemic, it is clear that remote work is here to stay. It seems every week there are more news stories about workers preferring to work remotely, or...

Beyond Section 230: A pair of social media experts describes how to bring transparency and accountability to the industry

Written by Robert Kozinets, Professor of Journalism, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Social media regulation – and the future of Section 230 – are top of mind for many in Congress.Pavlo Conchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

One of Elon Musk’s stated reasons for purchasing Twitter was to use the social media platform to defend the right to free speech. The ability to defend that right, or to abuse it,...

These are not your mother's machines - the next generation of American manufacturing is high-tech, and skilled workers are needed to operate these advanced tools

Written by Tony Schmitz, Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee

More skilled workers are needed to operate high-tech tools in factories.Getty Images

The U.S. Navy is beginning to build 12 top-of-the-line nuclear submarines , with the first one scheduled to be completed by 2027. But it is missing a critical ingredient: many of an estimated 50,000 skilled workers to get the job done. It also lacks a reliable...

William Wordsworth and the Romantics anticipated today's idea of a nature-positive life

Written by Jonathan Bate, Foundation Professor of Environmental Humanities, Arizona State University

Wiliam Wordsworth lived and wrote in Grasmere, in England's Lake District, from 1799-1808.Mick Knapton/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Musical performances usually happen in concert halls or clubs, but famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma is exploring a new venue: U.S. national parks. In a project called Our Common Nature, Ma is performing in settings such as the Great...

On New Year's Day, Buddhist god Hotei brings gifts and good fortune in Japan

Written by Megan Bryson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee

Hotei hands out gifts to children.Detail of print by Kuniyoshi Utagawa, 1798-1861, via Wikimedia Commons

The new year brings a fresh start, symbolized in some cultures by the cherubic baby New Year who replaces the old year that has come to a close. In Japan, the roly-poly god Hotei, who is often identified with Santa Claus, ushers in the new year...

Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest during 'Monday Night Football' could be commotio cordis or a more common condition – a heart doctor answers 4 questions

Written by Wendy Tzou, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Damar Hamlin, #3, collapsed on the field after making a tackle during a game on January 2, 2023.Dylan Buell via Getty Images

Damar Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, collapsed on the field during a Monday night football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023.

Medical staff gave Hamlin CPR and shocked him with a defibrillator,...

Speaker of the House faces political peril from member deaths and resignations – especially with a narrow majority

Written by Charles R. Hunt, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boise State University

GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy wants to be speaker of the House. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The arm-twisting, dealmaking and vote hunting around Kevin McCarthy’s quest to be named House speaker have put on full display the fact that razor-thin majorities in both the House and the Senate are becoming a fact of life at the federal level.

In...

A record-breaking number of women were elected governor in 2022 – here are 7 things to know about how that happened

Written by William R. Wilkerson, Professor of Political Science, State University of New York at Oneonta

Massachusetts Gov.-elect Maura Healey, at a Democratic election night party Nov. 8, 2022, in Boston. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Twelve women won a governor’s office in the November 2022 midterm election. Those 12 represent a record number of women governors, more than one-quarter of the 46 women who have ever served as governor since 1974.

These...

Why you should give the gift of mindfulness this New Year

Written by Jeremy David Engels, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn State

The late Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh leading a meditation walk.Steve Cray/South China Morning Post via Getty Images

The start of another year can feel magical to many of us. Even though the days remain short and dark, the flip of the calendar can make it seem new beginnings with new resolutions are possible.

Mindfulness scholars and teachers like me...