Kyle Chayka

The attention economy has dominated the Internet for more than a decade now, but never before have its protagonists felt so central to American life or had such direct access to the levers of power.

The director, whose latest film, “Oh, Canada,” opened this December, discusses four of his favorite works of fiction.

From the daily newsletter: sex work in America. Plus: remembering Nikki Giovanni; Kenneth Branagh’s life in Shakespeare; and is Kash Patel the new J. Edgar Hoover?

The eight people you meet on Slack A look back at March 12, 2020 Here's why it was O.K. to do what we did Are you a people pleaser? A quiz

With projects like “IMG_0001,” an online compendium of YouTube home videos, Riley Walz is calling attention to the hidden deposits of personal information that power our digital lives.

Also: A private-school meltdown in “Eureka Day,” jam rock comes to town, Richard Brody reviews “Babygirl” and “A Complete Unknown,” and more.

Wid Lyman, who tries to document crossings on the southern border, is one of a growing number of citizen journalists who portray immigrants with a sense of menace.

In the latest revival of Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, and Jule Styne’s iconic musical, George C. Wolfe humanizes a famously monstrous stage mother.

In 1979, a minister received a telegram from Iranian militants who had taken hostages in the American Embassy, inviting him to perform Christmas services. Two days later, he was inside.

From the daily newsletter: Adam Iscoe on getting a table. Plus: right-wing reporters at the border; Trump’s Cabinet picks in Washington; and Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan impersonation.