In 2006 Amy Carlson, a former McDonald's employee, left her family in Texas to live with people she met online, claiming she was destined to usher humanity into a grand awakening.
The group blended New Age mysticism with beliefs about galactic beings, planetary ascension, and a hint of QAnon-style conspiracy theories — but at its crux revolved around worshipping Carlson.
According to Facebook posts made by Jason Castillo's group Joy Rains, Carlson died on April 21 in California, one week before her mummified body was found in the group's house in Colorado.
As Carlson never saw a doctor, it's unclear what caused her health problems or whether her death could have been prevented with medical treatment, members of the group said.
The conventional wisdom blames social media for the widening divide as the timing lines up. But scientifically, it's been surprisingly hard to make the charges stick, Adam Rogers (@jetjocko) writes. ⬇️
Maybe the problem isn't that social media has driven us all into like-minded bubbles. Maybe it's that social media has obliterated the bubbles we've all lived in for centuries, Rogers says.
According to a model developed by Petter Törnberg, a computer scientist at @UvA_Amsterdam, social media twists our psyches and clumps us into warring tribes for two simple reasons.
We sort ourselves into two camps with sharply drawn lines, Roger writes.
Rebecca Hessel Cohen's tunnel vision — a world of parties and parasols, confetti and Champagne — is what turned LoveShackFancy into the success it is today.
But as it grew to a bona fide fashion empire, its founder’s blind spots turned glaring. 👇
LoveShackFancy has never needed to be anything other than exactly what it is: pretty, pink clothes for skinny, rich girls who want to have fun, no matter what's happening in the world around them. Which is, of course, a statement in itself.
"I was struck by the imagination and creativity of that," said the 60-year-old, who asked to be referred to as "Your Excellency" or "President Baugh," during a phone interview with @thisisinsider.
🗝 One of the most powerful legislators in modern US history acknowledged to @leonardkl that President Ronald Reagan, while conducting a meeting at the White House, once seemingly forgot who he was. 🧠
What's the hardest college in America to get into?
You're probably thinking it's @Harvard, which admitted just 3% of applicants this year, but you're wrong. It’s @Tulane, whose official acceptance rate is 0.7%.
The only way Tulane can afford to reject 99% of its applicants in the regular round is if it's confident it has already locked down most of its class through early decision.