In the midst of the upcoming presidential election, recent migrant and refugee crisis, and ongoing decline in the price of oil, have you felt at all confused at what is going on in the world? Do you ever lament how difficult it is to keep current with current events?
Collegiettes, you are not alone! While it may seem like a daunting task to bring yourself up to speed with world goings-on, doing so is worthwhile and will help you become a more educated global citizen. Here are some easy ways to integrate current events into your everyday life.
1. Read the Skimm
A hidden treasure in the world of current events, the Skimm makes it unbelievably easy to follow the news, even for the collegiette who doesn’t have a lot of background knowledge on world events. Each morning, Skimm HQ sends its subscribers a brief email outlining the major news events that took place the day before. Each event, from global crises to pop culture trends, is summarized in a short paragraph – in layman’s terms. Typically, the Skimm also includes links to supplementary articles, if any particular story piques your interest. Reading the Skimm is a productive and easy way to start each day informed.
2. Download a news app
A plethora of free news apps are available for download on your phone; some popular choices include CNN, BBC, and Fox News. These apps usually have an alerts feature, notifying you of important headlines that may arise throughout the day. If the headline is something in which you are interested, you can follow up by reading the corresponding article. Having one (or more) of these apps on your phone makes it extremely convenient to check what’s going on in the world at any time of day: the next time you find yourself aimlessly scrolling Instagram, you could instead peruse recent headlines and look for topics of interest.
3. “Like” news publications on Facebook
Liking pages on Facebook, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, or the Guardian is a simple, free way to stay up to date with world happenings. Having these articles appear intermittently throughout your news feed is an easy way to incorporate productive procrastination into your life. Sure, you may fall prey to checking social media while “studying,” but using this time to read an article on the Iowa caucuses instead of your estranged ex-BFF’s Facebook rant won’t bring about procrastination-induced guilt.
4. Pick up a newspaper on campus
On Bucknell’s campus, free newspapers are offered in the entrances to Bertrand, Academic West, and Taylor Hall. Pick one of these up on the way to your 8 a.m. so you can skim its headlines during your study break. While less immediately accessible than the tech-savvy news sources listed above, there’s a satisfyingly academic feeling about holding and perusing a physical copy of a newspaper. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get a crossword puzzle!
However you decide to go about following the news, have no fear. The best way to learn what’s going on in the world is to simply start reading. Don’t feel as though you need to read every article flung at you, either. Read what interests you, and read what you understand. It’s awesome if you want to push this envelope, but you’ll learn a lot better if you focus on a few areas of interest than on things you think other people are interested in. And if a particular topic is interesting to you, read as much about it as you can! The more you read and know, the better you will be able to form your own opinion on the issue, which contributes to the making of an informed and intelligent global citizen.