Being informed in our current political climate is imperative to contributing as a global citizen. Especially for high school students, who will soon graduate, being knowledgeable about the ever-changing situations of modern culture is essential.
The best way to become more knowledgeable about current events is to actively search for news. By consuming reputable media from multiple perspectives, students are able to determine their unique viewpoints on issues. On the other hand, the effects of young people being too uninformed will be detrimental to future generations. As teens approach voting age, it becomes exceedingly important that they are well informed. They will begin voting on bills and representation for themselves. Young people must take the initiative to learn how their own minds fit into the world’s landscape. Otherwise, conformity and a lack of individual thinkers will overshadow innovation.
With much of the youth’s main source of news being social media, bias and misinformation are easily spread. The majority of online creators do not take the time to research multiple perspectives or go in-depth on a topic. When one account spreads misinformation, it becomes a wildfire of false pretenses. Others may attempt to refute such incorrect information, but often get swept up under the millions of videos posted daily. This leads to a jumble of only partially correct news. With this trend, having too much trust in social media for gathering news is dangerous. According to Pew Research Center, 50% of young adults aged 18-26 say they have some level of trust in social media platforms to provide news. This is particularly dangerous for high school students because their voices and opinions on important topics will begin to have tangible effects.
Diversity of viewpoints is also often limited by social media. Because they are based on algorithms, social media platforms are very monotonous in the content they share to certain demographics. It is common for social media platforms to show specific videos to age groups, regardless of where one may lie on a true political spectrum. As such, this level of “sameness” can lead to a lack of diverse beliefs within a demographic. While there will always be overlap to a certain degree, a dependence on social media to provide news will only create a society with little-to-no diversity in their viewpoints.
Additionally, learning from the mistakes of the past is the only way to avoid the repetition of history. High school students need to see the current state of the world, learn from the good and bad aspects of it and change the world they will inherit accordingly. Moving forward in such a way can only be accomplished by young adults making the effort to inform themselves. This means paying attention when teachers review current events. Actively searching for news. Sharing and debating with peers. Anything keeping young adults informed is ultimately beneficial for their future.
Learning information is only useful when it is applied to one’s specific context: in the end, it comes down to more than reading headlines. Too often, students are too afraid or unmotivated to discuss current events with those around them. Though understandably so, the polarity of politics is likely to be a deterrent to high schoolers focused primarily on creating social circles and making friends. However, finding a way to hear and discuss the viewpoints of those around you is essential to making informed opinions. Start small, ask a friend’s opinion on a local news story and discuss the different side of it with them. The only way to improve the future is to start making change now.
