Jonathan D. Fitzgerald

Author, editor

The algorithm is everywhere, invisibly making choices for me throughout the day, but recently I’ve grown deeply suspicious of these unseen algorithmic overlords.

No, Alexa, don’t curate my news for me

Multiple people connected, each one holds a specific connection. (Getty Images)

Commentary

Books

Opinion

Life

I could see it on the other students’ faces as they listened. 

Even had I not been so deep in my project, I still would have noticed something special happening in my class that day.

When we pay attention, empathy is everywhere

IQ versus EQ stock photo (Getty Images)

Health

Media

I realize now that I missed me -- the me that always lived inside my head.

I made my smartphone dumb. I like it — and me — better this way

Vintage phone on table. (Getty Images)

Commentary 

Technology

The author and his trusty Subaru Impreza, complete with manual transmission, in 2023. (Courtesy Jonathan Fitzgerald)

The thing is, a lot of the time, I feel out of sync — like I’m the one stuck between gears.

The profundity of driving a stick shift

Businessman driving his car

There is hardly a part of me today that wasn’t shaped in a significant way by the things I learned between the ages of 18 and 22.

College changed my life. I want the same for my students — with less debt

A group of college students in the university amphitheatre, with two professors monitoring. (Getty Images)

University amphitheatre full of students doing exam.

Education

Politics

I was there for the sleepless nights and bleary days. I was there for the first laughs and first steps. 

All Americans deserve paid parental leave 

The author and his children in 2015. (Courtesy Jonathan Fitzgerald)

john fitz3

News

It’s problematic that we often treat the all-female artificial intelligence administrative workforce inhumanely.

Stop Yelling At Alexa: In The Age Of #MeToo, Digital Assistants Deserve Our Respect

In this Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, file photo, a new Amazon Echo is displayed during a program announcing several new Amazon products by the company, in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

TEC--Smart Speakers-Buyers Guide

Together, we have speculated about Lindsay’s thinking and motivations. Was he sincerely worried that the executive order would jeopardize the federal funding that Gordon receives? Was his decision politically motivated?

Dear Gordon College, You Do Not Speak For Me

Jonathan D. Fitzgerald: "Will this hit to the college’s reputation be a red flag to future employers who do not want to hire religious ideologues?" Pictured: The Clarendon Street Baptist Church Bell Pavilion, Gordon College,
Wenham, Mass. (ethomsen/Flickr)

0722_gordon3-Cog

Religion

policy

Lena Dunham is like a new, contemporary incarnation of the [Great Male Narcissist, or] GMN.

Dunham fetishizes these horrors in 'Girls;' rather than offer an antidote to what ails Millennials, she makes it seem somehow glamorous.

Lena Dunham Is The New John Updike — But Not In A Good Way

Jonathan Fitzgerald: I think I’ve finally realized what bothers me about "Girls" and its creator. In this photo, Lena Dunham on stage during the panel discussion at the 2014 Winter Television Critics Association tour on Jan. 9, 2014 in Pasadena, Calif. (Richard Shotwell/AP)

Jonathan D. Fitzgerald

Recently published

No, Alexa, don’t curate my news for me

Cognoscenti

When we pay attention, empathy is everywhere

Cognoscenti

I made my smartphone dumb. I like it — and me — better this way

Cognoscenti

The profundity of driving a stick shift

Cognoscenti

College changed my life. I want the same for my students — with less debt

Cognoscenti

All Americans deserve paid parental leave

Cognoscenti

Stop Yelling At Alexa: In The Age Of #MeToo, Digital Assistants Deserve Our Respect

Cognoscenti

Dear Gordon College, You Do Not Speak For Me

Cognoscenti

Lena Dunham Is The New John Updike — But Not In A Good Way

Cognoscenti