It's Been a Minute Folgen

At what age did you have a fully formed political perspective? Did tens of thousands of people listen to you? Well, teens today are more influential than ever.From Charlie Kirk to Greta Thunberg, teenagers and children have long had political influence. But what’s new is that teenagers are creating their own media ecosystem for teenagers, by teenagers. And they’re doing it through highly popular podcasts, like: MD Foodie Boyz or The LOL Podcast. Brittany, NPR’s Jordan-Marie Smith, and The Cut’s EJ Dickson are delving into the “boyosphere” and exploring what teenage boys and girls are talking about in the rapidly expanding child content creator space. What do these teens have to say about politics and more? And what do their views say about all our futures?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

AI is the future, but how is its infrastructure impacting your air, water, and utilities bills today? You asked, and Brittany delivered. Many of you wrote in asking about artificial intelligence’s environmental impact. Brittany and Evan Halper, a business and energy reporter for The Washington Post, answer your questions and so much more. Like, is AI causing your energy bills to go up? Are tech companies tricking communities into building data centers? And how do you ethically use AI when you know it impacts nature? This is the final episode in our AI + U series. You can check out past episodes (Can you trust the information AI gives you? Or How AI slop is clogging you brain) further down in this feed. (0:35) The AI arms race and its immense energy demands(5:24) How much energy does AI need to run? Where does that energy come from?(9:13) Water usage and water quality concerns(10:30) How does AI impact your energy bills?(15:09) Can communities stop tech companies from building data centers?(17:30) Why tech companies may skirt prior climate commitments(18:49) How much AI should you use knowing its environmental impact?Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Christian rapture didn't happen as predicted, but a lot of you still feel like we're living in end times. Why is that?Right now - from religion to climate change to doomsday prepping - there's a lot of talk about the end of the world. And, yeah, there was a lot of joking (and some believing) this week that the rapture would happen, but this all points to a broader feeling a lot of us have: that something has to change. But what?In this episode, Brittany is joined by culture writer Joshua Rivera and national writer for Religion News Service Bob Smietana. They answer those questions and get into why the rapture is so appealing to Christians and non-Christians alike. And how Christian beliefs about the end of days are seeping into all of our minds.(0:35) The story of how The Rapture went viral(3:57) What even is The Rapture?(6:32) Why The Rapture is so alluring to Americans(11:45) Why 4 in 10 Americans believe we are in the end times(13:32) How TikTok contributes to our anxiety about the apocalypse(15:19) How Evangelical beliefs fuels MAGA policies(17:15) Why all of us - regardless of faith - think the end is nearFollow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy