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Aarushi Bhandari

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College
My current research trajectory focuses on the attention economy; the economies constructed for information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially the internet and social media. My book Attention and Alienation: Reflections on the Many promises of ICTs for Social Progress is under contract with Columbia University Press. This book presents quantitative data on internet and mobile penetration across the world from 1990-2020 to unpack the historical impacts these technologies have had on different elements of global change, including international development and social movements. Throughout the book, I weave narratives about my own experiences growing up as a young millennial girl during the Nepali Civil War. These narratives provide the contexts, positions and perspectives that inspire my analysis of the data.

Expanding on my interests in the phenomena of technology and attention, my newer projects focus on the study of meditation and mindfulness as radical tools to reclaim our attention from “big tech” firms and social media platforms. As a teacher, I am especially keen to uncover this line of inquiry to support my students for whom digital and social media are integral aspects of living. My next book project will be at the nexus of the study of attention, mindfulness and the future of technology.

Finally, I am also continuing my work on communication technologies and society through interdisciplinary collaborative projects on the social dimensions of rapidly evolving Artificial Intelligence (AI) and language models.

Taylor Swift and the end of the Hollywood writers strike – a tale of two media narratives

Sep 29, 2023 01:55 am UTC| Entertainment

This fall, Ive been starting my sociology classes by asking my students to share some uplifting news theyve come across. On Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, they were abuzz about Taylor Swifts appearance at the Kansas City...

Economy

Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes

Asian currencies traded in a narrow range on Friday as the U.S. dollar rebounded modestly from a near four-year low, following comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would announce his nominee for the next...

Canada’s Trade Deficit Jumps in November as Exports Slide and Firms Diversify Away From U.S.

Canada recorded a sharp increase in its monthly international trade deficit in November as merchandise exports fell significantly, highlighting ongoing challenges tied to trade diversification and U.S. tariff uncertainty....

U.S. Eases Venezuela Oil Sanctions to Boost American Investment After Maduro Ouster

The Trump administration has eased select sanctions on Venezuelas oil industry, signaling a major policy shift aimed at encouraging U.S. investment following the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro earlier this...

Oil Prices Surge Toward Biggest Monthly Gains in Years Amid Middle East Tensions

Oil prices are heading for their largest monthly gains in years as escalating Middle East tensions fuel concerns over potential supply disruptions, particularly involving Iran, one of the worlds largest OPEC producers....

Indonesia Stocks Face Fragile Sentiment After MSCI Warning and Market Rout

Indonesia stocks are set for a cautious start as investor sentiment remains fragile following a sharp market selloff triggered by concerns raised by MSCI. The Jakarta Composite Index suffered its steepest two-day decline...

Politics

Panama Supreme Court Voids CK Hutchison Port Concessions, Raising Geopolitical and Trade Concerns

Panamas Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional the port concession contracts held by Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings (HK:0001), effectively voiding its rights to operate two of...

Trump Threatens Aircraft Tariffs as U.S.-Canada Jet Certification Dispute Escalates

U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified trade tensions with Canada by announcing the decertification of Bombardier Global Express business jets and threatening steep new tariffs on Canadian-made aircraft. In a...

Trump Warns UK and Canada Against Deepening Business Ties With China

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to the United Kingdom and Canada over expanding business cooperation with China, describing such moves as very dangerous during a recent public appearance. His...

Faith Leaders Arrested on Capitol Hill During Protest Against Trump Immigration Policies and ICE Funding

Dozens of faith leaders were arrested on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., after staging a protest against President Donald Trumps immigration policies and calling for funding restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs...

Democrats Question Intelligence Chief’s Role in FBI Georgia Election Raid

Top Democrats on the U.S. Senate and House intelligence committees are demanding answers after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present during a recent FBI raid on an election facility in Georgia, an...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Apple Faces Margin Pressure as Memory Chip Prices Surge Amid AI Boom

Apple is beginning to feel the strain from rapidly rising memory chip prices, a challenge that is expected to intensify in the current quarter as the global semiconductor market pivots toward artificial intelligence...

Apple Earnings Beat Expectations as iPhone Sales Surge to Four-Year High

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) delivered a strong fiscal first-quarter 2026 earnings report, comfortably beating Wall Street expectations on both profit and revenue, driven by its strongest iPhone sales growth in more than four...

OpenAI Reportedly Eyes Late-2026 IPO Amid Rising Competition and Massive Funding Needs

OpenAI is reportedly accelerating preparations for a potential initial public offering (IPO), with plans to go public by the fourth quarter of 2026, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the...

Sandisk Stock Soars After Blowout Earnings and AI-Driven Outlook

Sandisk shares surged more than 15% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the data storage and memory solutions company delivered a fiscal second-quarter earnings report that significantly exceeded Wall Street...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Explores Merger Options With Tesla or xAI, Reports Say

Elon Musks SpaceX is reportedly exploring potential merger and consolidation options with Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) or artificial intelligence startup xAI, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the...