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USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Polarization, brain rot and brat – the 2024 words of the year point to the power, perils and ephemeral nature of digital life

  • Written by Roger J. Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis
imageSocial media has played a big role in political polarization.kieferpix/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Ever since the American Dialect Society selected a Word of the Year at its conference in 1990, over half a dozen English dictionaries have anointed an annual word or phrase that’s meant to encapsulate the zeitgeist of the prior year.

In 2003,...

Read more: Polarization, brain rot and brat – the 2024 words of the year point to the power, perils and...

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  4. Links between gender stereotypes and American patriotism date from the Cold War − but weren’t true then either
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  7. Why does Colorado have so many ballot measures?
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  9. How utilities are working to meet AI data centers’ voracious appetite for electricity
  10. How to combat toxic bosses: Social media and flexible work can save careers, new research shows
  11. Meditation can reduce stress – but the pressure to overwork remains
  12. Trump’s plans for tougher border enforcement won’t necessarily stop migrants from coming to US − but their journeys could become more costly and dangerous
  13. What is the universe expanding into if it’s already infinite?
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