As She Wrote

Between the Headlines | July 2026

“American citizens have been in an epidemic of stupidity for so long they’re conditioned and desensitized to violence from its own government, celebrating it and even questioning those who point out the danger.”
— Saint

Every day someone asks us to pick a side.

Republican or Democrat.

Black or White.

Traditional media or independent creators.

Public school or homeschool.

Artificial intelligence or human intelligence.

Jay-Z or Nicki Minaj.

Black American or African American.

Our culture has convinced us that freedom means having endless choices. But what if many of those choices are only an illusion? What if your phone already knows what you’ll watch tonight? What if your social media feed already knows what will make you angry, what will make you laugh, and what will keep you scrolling just a little longer? What if your opinions are being shaped before you’ve had the chance to form them for yourself?

These questions are not meant to inspire fear. They are meant to inspire awareness. Because the greatest battle of our generation is not simply political, economic, or technological. It is psychological. It is spiritual.It is a battle for your attention and Whoever consistently controls your attention has the greatest opportunity to influence your perception of reality.

The frightening part is that many of us have volunteered for the experiment.

The Internet Doesn’t Reward Truth. It Rewards Attention

Most of us were taught that the internet was built to connect the world through information. Today, information is only part of the business model. Attention is the product. Every notification, autoplay video, trending topic, and recommended post is competing for one thing.

You.

The longer you stay, the more advertisements you see. The more advertisements you see, the more money someone else makes. The internet does not reward truth. It rewards engagement. It rewards outrage. It rewards controversy. It rewards anything that keeps your thumb moving and your eyes locked on the screen.

Behavioral scientists have spent decades studying dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate motivation, learning, and reward. Dopamine encourages us to repeat behaviors that our brains associate with positive outcomes. This system is essential for survival, but it can also be exploited.

Social media platforms are designed around this principle. Each unpredictable notification, viral video, or burst of likes creates anticipation that encourages us to return again and again. It is remarkably similar to the reward patterns studied in behavioral psychology.

This does not mean social media is inherently evil. It means it was designed with a purpose. The question is whether that purpose serves your life or simply someone else’s profits. We often ask whether technology is changing society. A better question might be whether technology is changing us.

The Black Mirror We Carry in Our Pocket

Turn your phone off for a moment.

What do you see?

A black mirror.

It is one of the most powerful symbols of modern life.

Unlike a traditional mirror, it does not simply reflect your face.

It reflects a digital version of who algorithms believe you are.

Your search history.

Your purchases.

Your fears.

Your entertainment preferences.

Your political interests.

Your late-night thoughts.

The longer you use it, the more accurately it predicts your behavior.

Then it feeds that behavior back to you.

What begins as personalization slowly becomes confirmation.

Instead of expanding your world, your digital environment often reinforces what you already believe.

You see more opinions that sound like your own.

More news that confirms your worldview.

More creators who think like you.

More content that keeps you emotionally invested.

Eventually, your personalized feed begins to feel like reality itself.

It isn’t.

It is only one version of reality.

Millions of people are living inside entirely different digital worlds while believing they are all seeing the same truth.

Perhaps the greatest concern is what this means for children.

Many children now spend more time learning from algorithms than from parents, teachers, grandparents, neighbors, or books.

We should never allow a screen to become a substitute for wisdom.

Stop Believing Everything You See

Artificial intelligence is transforming the world at an unprecedented pace. Videos can be fabricated, voices can be cloned, images can be generated in seconds, headlines can be intentionally misleading, clips can be edited to remove context, influencers build careers selling products, news organizations compete for clicks, content creators compete for views, corporations compete for your purchases, and political organizations compete for your vote. Almost everyone online is vying for your attention, but that doesn’t automatically make them dishonest. It simply means we should approach everything with discernment. Question what you see, question what you hear, and question what confirms your existing beliefs just as much as what challenges them. Critical thinking is becoming one of the most valuable skills a person can possess. In an era where information is abundant, wisdom is becoming increasingly scarce.

Education Is About More Than School

Education goes beyond just attending school. One of the most prominent debates today revolves around public school versus homeschooling. I understand the reasons behind this debate; parents want the best for their children. However, I believe we sometimes ask the wrong question. Instead of comparing the superiority of these systems, we should focus on which environments foster independent thinkers.

A classroom can ignite curiosity, but it can also stifle it. Similarly, a homeschool can nurture creativity, but it can also fall short. The goal of education is not merely to impart information; it is to teach children how to investigate, ask questions, verify sources, recognize bias, and adapt their perspectives when new evidence emerges. Education should not produce individuals who merely regurgitate information; it should equip them with the ability to critically evaluate it.

Your mind is being programmed. 

In today’s culture, we tend to idolize celebrities, much like previous generations did with sports teams. We defend individuals we have never met and inherit opinions without examining their underlying values. Whether the conversation revolves around Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, athletes, influencers, or politicians, I find myself asking a different question: What do they truly stand for? Character holds more significance than popularity, and influence surpasses fame. The people we celebrate shape the culture our children inherit. Instead of focusing on who is winning, we should consider who is worthy of emulation.

Fame is easily recognizable, but character demands observation. In our fast-paced digital world, real life is slow, while the internet offers instant gratification. Real friendships require forgiveness, whereas online friendships often demand nothing more than a simple “Follow.” True confidence is cultivated through discipline, while digital confidence can vanish as quickly as it was gained. Real love demands sacrifice, while fake love seeks validation. Real education instills critical thinking, while fake education merely imparts rote memorization. Real success often takes years to achieve, while fake success is packaged into thirty-second highlight reels. Real communities know your family, while fake communities know your username. Real identity grows from history, memory, and lived experience, whereas fake identity changes with every algorithm-driven trend. One world asks you to become someone, while the other asks you to appear to be someone. There’s a significant difference between the two.

The War for Your Consciousness Has Already Begun. (And you’re losing) 

The battle for your attention didn’t start with your generation; it simply became more sophisticated. Every hour spent endlessly scrolling could have been spent creating, and every moment consumed by comparison is a moment stolen from gratitude. Borrowing opinions without investigation weakens our ability to think independently.

This article isn’t a call to abandon technology. Technology has connected families, expanded education, amplified overlooked voices, and created opportunities unimaginable to previous generations. The issue isn’t the existence of technology; it’s surrendering our consciousness to it without question.

Some of us believe we were placed on this earth to build something meaningful, preserve a legacy, honor our ancestors, raise thoughtful children, create beautiful work, and leave our communities stronger. None of these things happen accidentally; they require intention, attention, and consistent practice. Reality doesn’t care about trends; it responds to our consistent actions. So, yes, pick a side. 

What happens if you don’t?!

These devices will literally suck in your consciousness…. It already is… every hour spent on tik tok. Every minute you spend comparing, competing with others in your mind you lose time off your life. Time to create time to listen and enjoy life’s little joys without your brain being hijacked and influenced in ways you don’t even realize. Many people don’t even know their authentic selves, just a personality full of copy and paste mood boards and aesthetics that you try but fail to live up too. Why just not take yourself out of the equation and discover/ create a version of you hole and solely independent from everything you ever thought you knew. 

What happens when a society mistakes narratives for reality? 

When we lose the ability to question what we are being shown, separate truth from performance, and understand the deeper forces shaping our world. Narratives are powerful because they do more than tell stories, they influence how we see ourselves, how we view others, and what we believe is possible.

A society that cannot examine its own stories becomes vulnerable to illusion. But a society willing to seek understanding, embrace complexity, and look beyond the surface creates room for growth.

This month’s Between the Headlines is a reminder that awareness begins when we stop accepting the world exactly as it is presented and start exploring the realities underneath.

Because the truth is rarely found in the loudest voices! It is often discovered in the deeper conversations we are willing to have.

Pick a side if not your black mirror already put bets/bids in for your life. 

Pick A Side !!! Before It’s Too Late! 

Choose curiosity over convenience, investigation over imitation, presence over distraction, wisdom over endless information, and most importantly, choose to remain awake in a world that profits from keeping you distracted. Because if you never intentionally decide where your attention belongs, someone else already has. And in the twenty-first century, the greatest competition isn’t for money. It’s for your consciousness.