When did we stop caring about the news? Was it our senior year in high school when we just got so busy with prom and graduation announcements? Or was it freshman year of college when we moved into a dorm room that didn’t have a TV so we just slowly fell out of the loop of reality? Is it okay to not care about current events and the real world the way so many of us, including myself, do?
The morning after the Las Vegas attack, I didn’t even know the event had occurred. I walked into class later that day and was shocked to find out that so many people had died and that so many more people had been injured — and I was completely unaware of the situation. How had I let myself become so accustomed to living in a bubble that is my own world?
A huge contributor to the lack of awareness is social media. Social media can be a platform to help students and young adults gain access to news, but all the details are often unavailable. Many times, people see the highlights of a news story and move on with their lives. Scrolling through twitter and seeing a headline or phrase (i.e. “Harvey Weinstein scandal”) and then continuing to scroll to see funny tweets encourages people to lose interest in news and forget about things that matter.
Students are losing the empathy that was once there for the people impacted by tragedy and other events. When I was in high school, I would sit and watch the news before dinner every night. That led me to be more informed and more empathetic to those involved. I started drives and volunteer projects for local people I saw on the news, and I would feel a civic duty to help people in need. In college, the only things that matter are those right in front of my face. I seem to only care about passing my classes and making it to the next day. Things change so drastically due to the change in lifestyle.
It’s not okay to stop having a sense of social responsibility. College students are so important in shaping the world. Having a clear grasp on what is happening in the world can change the way you live your life. Becoming more informed can lead a student to volunteer for a cause they wouldn’t ordinarily be involved with. There are so many student organizations that care about so many different things. For example, there are LGBTQ organizations, organizations to support volunteer projects and hurricane relief efforts, and huge fundraisers and events like Dance Marathon. If a student has a particular interest, there is most likely a club for them.
It is disheartening knowing that while there are many students who are aware of the world beyond the college bubble, there are still so many students who walk around not knowing what is happening in the news. If you ask a friend how the nation is handling hurricane relief with Puerto Rico, it’s likely that they wouldn’t know. If you asked another friend about the Harvey Weinstein scandal, some people may ask who that is. So many students have fallen out of the current event loop. It’s not only scary, but it’s dangerous. What happens when we all leave college and don’t know what has been happening in the world for the past four years? Do we just ignore the fact that we have all been living in a bubble?
College is a self-contained world of our own. No one wants to leave the comfort and safety of a dorm or an apartment in a college town, but at some point, we all have to. The “real world” is scary, and it is better to care now than to realize you need to care later. So, I’m telling you now — let’s fall back into the loop.