Author: Insights

In the age of digital connectivity, the world seems smaller and more accessible than ever. With a mere tap of a screen, anyone can peer into the daily lives of people across the globe, interact with celebrities in real-time, and find communities of like-minded strangers. As social media has become woven into the fabric of everyday human existence, it has blurred the lines between genuine friendship and something more elusive and deceptive, the parasocial relationship. While the digitally engineered bonds promise closeness, they often deliver a one-sided dependency that can lead to unforeseen social and psychological consequences. Social media...

In the modern media landscape, it is no secret that fans can develop an intense level of emotional attachment to public figures, fictional characters, and digital idols. These attachments, often referred to as parasocial relationships, are essentially one-sided bonds where fans invest significant emotional energy into personalities who do not reciprocate that relationship in any concrete way. Yet, it is precisely this unbalanced dynamic that has proven not only lucrative but is also systematically cultivated within the entertainment industry. The phenomenon is perhaps most strikingly seen among Japanese Anime enthusiasts known as “Otaku,” K-pop’s most fervent admirers that also...

In a stately repository of the nation’s heritage, two volumes rest quietly among countless others. These books, housed in a prominent American library dating back to the country’s earliest years, speak to a complex and often overlooked facet of the nation’s founding era. The English translation of the Qur’an was once owned by an influential Founding Father. The other manuscript was authored by a Muslim scholar forcibly brought to North America as an enslaved individual. The manuscripts challenge the commonly told narrative of America’s religious liberty and progress. Taken together, the two surviving texts suggest that Islam’s influence in...

President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to issue mass pardons for supporters convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying he intended to act on his first day back in the White House. Speaking in a wide-ranging interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with moderator Kristen Welker, Trump pledged to bring what he called “legal relief” to hundreds of incarcerated individuals whom he characterized as unfairly punished victims of a broken criminal justice system. “I’m going to be acting very quickly. First day,” Trump said, describing the prison conditions faced by many January 6...