Why it matters: This year, the shopping holiday is less about "online-only deals" and more about AI-assisted gift-hunting — a shift experts say is transforming how shoppers discover products.
Black and Latino men are trading in hoodies and sneakers for quarter-zip sweaters, tailored suits and fedoras — a sharp, self-assured look that signals dignity, intentionality and a reimagined masculinity in the post-COVID era.
Why it matters: It's pushing back against decades of narrow stereotypes that linked urban masculinity to athletic gear and reclaiming pride through presentation.
Americans' social media habits are splintering in ways that echo the fractured traditional news landscape, according to a new Pew Research Center report.
Why it matters: The same fragmentation that reshaped news is now reshaping social media, making it harder for companies, brands and public figures to reliably reach large swaths of the public.
The holiday shopping wars have sparked an AI arms race — the retail industry's biggest technology experiment since the dawn of e-commerce.
Why it matters: Retailers and tech giants — from Target and Walmart to Amazon, Google and Meta — are rushing to deploy smart shopping assistants that promise to help consumers find gifts faster, spend smarter and even complete purchases.
Etiquette experts advise not talking about politics and religion at the holiday dinner table, but there's good reasonto talk about AI, especially with older relatives.
Why it matters: Seniors are already prime targets for scams, and AI is making it easier and cheaper to generate convincing text, audio and video fakes pretending to be relatives in desperate need.
