Oftentimes, people say that you should avoid watching the news because it’s depressing. Well, I would disagree with that. In a world that’s rapidly changing, we must ensure that we are staying educated and engaged to live our most worldly and open minded lives yet.
Our parents used to read the newspaper or watch the news on TV. Older generations just seem to put an effort into checking the news each day. Younger generations like us need to put in the same effort. Now I know, this may be easier said than done. Between balancing our academics, extracurriculars, and social lives, it is hard to find time in the day to dedicate to staying updated about the world around us. This is why I wanted to give you all a couple tips and tricks to make staying educated less tedious and eventually routine!
1. Utilize Your Socials
With social media platforms, especially Tiktok and Reddit, you have to be extremely careful about being fed false, glorified, or biased information. Despite what you may think, everyone has some sort of bias, so be sure to read about the same issue from another source, preferably one with contrasting pollical views (left vs right).
One of my favorite ways to find the news on social media is to follow major news outlets. That way, all of the information I am getting (although, some will inevitably be biased) is reliable. Subscribing to a few news outlets on Snapchat is my go to, especially because its harder to get lost in the realm of scrolling like with Instagram or TikTok. Following individuals may be helpful but again, make sure you double check their accuracy and reliability.
If you are the type of person to wake up already scrolling on your phone, try to include your daily dosage of the news during this time. Obviously, try to avoid using your phone in the morning, but for the days where your sheets are especially warm and cozy, this may be helpful!
Start Conversation
Almost every morning as I am dropped off for school, I have a conversation with my mom about a current issue or interesting thing I saw on the news. This may seem insignificant, but exposure to the opinions of others can be extremely helpful when it comes to your understanding of an issue.
I can almost guarantee that at whatever school you go to, there is a group of kids obsessed with foreign affairs, governments, etc (maybe you’re one of these kids yourself). I know it may be a little intimidating, but try engaging in conversation with those kids about topics you are unsure or unfamiliar with. Most of the time, they will be more than happy to share their knowledge with you. Don’t be afraid to ask a question because you will look dumb. You are going to look dumber if you know nothing about the topic in the first place.
I hope you enjoyed this quick post! Now go check the news! Maybe write a post about it, I would love to read it!
