For Christian booksellers, the good news about Bible sales has been few and far between. But in recent retail figures, there was a revelation. Sales of the good book reached a record high in the UK in 2025, increasing by 134% since 2019 the highest since records began according to industry research. Last year, the total sales of Bibles in the UK reached 6.3m in 2025, 3.61mup on 2019 sales.
In recent years, the US Army has faced a recruiting crisis, failing to add enough enlisted soldiers to its ranks. Previously, the military has relied on expensive television commercials and marketing campaigns to help with recruitment. But as younger generations are spending less time in front of television screens and more time watching content on their phones, a new way to reach potential recruits has emerged: social media influencers.
Even before inception, the lawsuit has been dogged by a war on reality fueled by social media influencers, some of whom have direct lines to federal officials. At every turn, influencers and the imperatives of content creation have been an inextricable though not always visible part of the National Guard case. The influencers have broadcast their content directly to figures in the administration, they have shaped national policy around "domestic terrorism," and they have seeped into the legal record itself.
With young people living increasingly online - and with the Army mired in a yearslong recruiting slump - the service launched a trial program less than a year ago with eight vetted troops who already command attention on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. One is a female bodybuilder. Another is a public affairs officer who preaches resilience. Some merge the latest social media trends with military peculiarities.
Creators are also having an increasingly important political impact, with Donald Trump courting popular YouTubers and podcasters such as Joe Rogan and the Nelk Boys in the run-up to his 2024 election victory. The recent murder of activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk, and the coverage of the aftermath, reminds us of the critical role these personalities are now playing in shaping both public opinion and political narratives.
A man accused of murdering a 17-year-old social media influencer at her home in Pakistan after she repeatedly rejected his advances has been formally indicted. Sana Yousaf's murder in June this year drew nationwide condemnation and reignited debate over women's safety, after some online comments alongside condolences blamed her for her own death. The 22-year-old accused, Umar Hayat, also a TikTok influencer, pleaded not guilty in a court in the capital Islamabad on Saturday as the trial formally began.
In 1958, Charles Dederich, a recovering alcoholic, launched a program for addicts in Santa Monica, California, based on the Synanon Foundation. Those admitted had to cut their ties with family and friends and faced shock therapy that included public humiliation. The idea was to destroy people in order to rebuild them, and in the 1950s and 1960s, it was very successful, says Jaime del Corral, director of the Addictions Unit at the San Juan de Dios Clinic in Madrid.
A tiny TV displayed in the L-shaped corner of her granite counter feels like a real throwback to the kitchen I grew up with in the '90s. Watching favorite shows while cooking meals or enjoying culinary creations is a nostalgic comfort.
