Human interaction can’t compete with the dopamine spike that social media provides. The attention economy has made focus a rare commodity. Every app is engineered to pull us back in, fragmenting not just our time, but our relationships. Friendship now competes with algorithms designed to hijack our curiosity.

As censorship rises across American media and education, Dr. James Kendrick, the interim department chair of journalism and professor of film and digital media, warns that power and algorithms are shaping what ideas reach the public. From classrooms to social media feeds, he said the suppression of controversial topics limits critical thinking and open dialogue.

The Trump administration and China appear to finally have a deal to keep the platform live for U.S. users, though. Under the agreement, a group of U.S.-backed investors will own the majority of the company and TikTok’s algorithm will be retrained, with the deal expected to be approved through an executive order.

Popular romance books promote and romanticize toxic and often abusive relationships, making them seem more normal and even desirable. However, choking, stalking, physical violence and other behaviors aren’t sexy; they’re dangerous and unhealthy.

As a society, we need to be careful with technology. We can’t let it be our downfall or truly rely on it for everything. The growth of AI can be seen as cool, but it can also be very dangerous to us. Be careful with what you say near your phone because you never know who may be listening.