Commonwealth Policy Center

The word of the year for 2022, according to Merriam-Webster, is gaslighting. This word had the most Internet searches throughout the year. It increased in search numbers by 1740%. While Merriam-Webster doesn’t keep track of why people look up words, this is an indication of what’s on the mind of the people and where our culture is. Peter Sokolowski, editor-in-chief of Merriam-Webster says this: “In our age of misinformation – “fake news,” conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls, and deep fakes – gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time.” In a bitter time of polarization where Americans feel like they’re being lit up for their political or religious views, it’s an opportunity for Church to speak out against verbal assassinations of their fellow man, to speak the truth in love, and to model healthy civic dialogue in a way that honors the Savior Jesus Christ.