As a college student keeping up with what is happening in the world can be a struggle, especially when you do not have cable in your dorm room. Combined with the fact that you’ve been thrust into a new environment and barely have enough time to remember your own name, knowing what is happening around you is near impossible. This is a case where you can use social media to your advantage so that you do not have to download individual news apps if you don’t want your phone cluttered. Below is a list of how I try to stay up to date with the world.
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One of my main sources of news and information is Instagram. I use the app by following multiple different news outlets such as CNN, ABC, NBC, AP News, and USA Today. A benefit of following these accounts is that they give a brief overview of the story with a link in their bio. We all scroll through our feed anyways so this would not take any time out of your day. In following these accounts, you could see any number of news stories, including breaking news, just by opening the app.
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Twitter is an extremely efficient way to keep up with the world as stories often get tweeted before being posted on other social media accounts. I just got a Twitter account – I’m a little late to the party, yes I know, I am very aware – and by allowing the app to send me notifications from the accounts that I follow, I can be aware of breaking news almost immediately as it is happening in real-time. A feature that I really like about Twitter is that when you want to retweet an article that you have not opened, you will be asked if you are sure you want to retweet the article without opening it.
- Spotify
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Now you might be wondering why I put the music giant on this list, well I have one simple word: podcasts. There are multiple different podcasts that cover not only the news in the United States but around the world. Some podcasts that I listen to whenever I want to be in the know are the “BBC Minute,” “The Daily,” “The Journal,” “WSJ What’s New,” “Wall Street Breakfast,” and “CBS This Morning.” These are great because none of them are too long and you could listen to them while you walk to class, ride the bus, or even in line to get your morning coffee.
- Snapchat
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The news outlets on the Snapchat app are typically pop culture news and magazines such as Pink News, Wishbone, People, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and Bazar. However, there are some outlets that cover the more “boring” news in and outs such as CBS News, Breaking Now, NBC News, and The Telegraph that share news on the app. A feature on Snapchat is that you can subscribe to any news outlet that you like.
- Or Honestly, Google
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If you really want to know what is going on in the world around you that much, you can always actively search specific media outlets for what you want to know. By looking up specific outlets you might get a wider understanding of what is really going on in the world and connections to similar articles.