Everybody Knows That

“Everybody knows that…” But how do we know what we know? What does it mean to be healthy or successful? Where do our ideas about relationships come from? And in the age of AI, how do we know what’s real?Everybody Knows That explores the often invisible “scripts of truth” that shape how we understand the world and ourselves. From questions about nutrition, psychedelics, and happiness to assumptions about intimacy, the ideal body, and parenting, many of the things we take to be obvious or natural are shaped by cultural narratives that often go unnoticed.Drawing on sociology, media analysis, and real-life examples, sociologist Michelle Shir-Wise examines how these scripts are formed, how they spread, and how we’ve come to take them for granted. The book explores the role of science, history, media, and technology—including artificial intelligence—in shaping our notions of truth.Thought-provoking and deeply relevant to contemporary life, Everybody Knows That invites us to reconsider familiar beliefs, become more aware of the forces that shape them, and question what we accept as true.