Blog Post #1

Top Five Sources of News and Information

Information and knowledge can be gathered through so many different forms of media, and because of this, the material being communicated holds different biases. We live in a world today where gaining knowledge is a multi-step process, including reading and analyzing information from different sources so that oneself can make their own opinions on any given topic. Politics tend to hold weight in almost any and every topic today, meaning that there are multiple "sides" to events, ideas, and messages. In order to widen the lens of  understanding of the news, and to learn the facts, one must utilize various sources. Personally, my top five sources of news and information include my family and friends, Google, The New York Times, Tik Tok, and Instagram. These sources, both tangible and intangible, have allowed me to learn and expand my knowledge and understanding of the world around me.

1. Family and Friends

My main source of news and information comes from the people that I most closely surround myself with: my family and friends. College has allowed me to grow close to people from all over the world, and to resultantly call them my friends. These people, while we’re all around the same age, have all had so many different life experiences than myself. In-turn, these differing life experiences have helped to mold their opinions and beliefs into what they are, just as my own have been shaped. I find myself very often sitting in a room with my friends, conversing on a story or piece of news about something going on in the world. These types of conversations typically lift off into an exciting and energetic discussion, in which more knowledge of the topic is shared and different opinions are explained. I find it to be so beneficial to focus on listening in conversations like these, instead of jumping in to share my own viewpoint. This is because after a period of time listening to different attitudes and conclusions, my understanding of the topic grows and evolves. This idea of listening and learning from others relates to my family, as well. I’m a part of a family of six, with two younger sisters and a younger brother. I hear different kinds of information from both my siblings and my parents, because of the difference in age. What might be important, breaking news to my siblings is not often shared by my parents, and vice versa. My siblings keep me updated and in-check with the new pop culture happenings, while my parents more so keep me on top of the news that they find crucial for me to understand. From my family and friends, the information that I hear and the viewpoints that are explained to me help me to grow into a more well-rounded individual, and sharpen my own beliefs and values.

2. Google

One of my most-used sources that I utilize to learn and grow my knowledge of different topics, or events and happenings around the world, is Google. Google is a search engine that allows for an individual to explore websites, videos, articles, news stories, books, etc. that relate to the key words in the search bar. Personally, I spend a great amount of time on Google researching various things for different classes and interests of mine. Google makes it easy to go down a so-called “internet spiral”, as one link after another about a related topic pops up. I've found this to be beneficial, as it's grown my knowledge of many topics vastly. Google also has a section of their business called Google News, which offers articles on top stories of the day, and stories relating to topics such as World, Entertainment, Sports, Science, and Health. I would make the argument that most of the new information that I learn and delve into research about is from Google. I have found myself reading an article for class on Google, and the next second I find myself having clicked on multiple related websites, having been sucked into this online world of knowledge. From here, ideas, stories, and events that I learn about on Google can be brought into conversation with my family and friends - allowing for the continuous cycle of intellectual growth.

3. The New York Times

The New York Times is another source that I use to expand my knowledge about world events and happenings. I had initially started to use The New York Times occasionally throughout high school for research papers and projects, though I slowly began to venture to the website out of curiosity. About 75% of the time, while on The New York Times' website, I read articles about world/US breaking news, such as political affairs and scandals. The other 25% of the time I read articles in a less serious manner, about topics such as lifestyle and well-being trends. I appreciate that I can go to The New York Times’ website and explore an array of topics, and resultantly feel both informed and interested at the same time. One aspect of The New York Times that I acknowledge and enjoy is the variety of article lengths; some being eight-hundred words and others being over twelve-hundred words. With this being said, whether I want to quickly catch myself up on a current event, or I want to delve into a current fixation of mine, I know that The New York Times offers the ability to do both.

4. TikTok

TikTok is widely known for being a form of media focused on entertainment, however it also holds the power to share and spread important information. I try to limit my time spent on social media apps each day, such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. With that being said, I don’t feel as guilty using those apps when I am focusing on learning or growing my knowledge on certain intellects. There are specific accounts/people that I follow on TikTok that all have their own niche, whether that be lifestyle areas, such as workouts and foods, scientific-related topics, history, or travel/world locations. TikTok is such a unique form of media because of the fact that anyone on the app can be a content creator. Any individual that has an account on the app can create and post a video, with the possibility of over one billion people accessing, viewing, commenting, sharing, and liking the video. This allows for the quick flow of information to be passed around, and with that, new ideas to come into fruition.

5. Instagram

Instagram, while it is an app that is widely used to showcase people's life highlights and updates, is also greatly used as a space to teach, influence, and share knowledge and ideas. I use Instagram to keep up with family members and friends that I don't see often, as well as to learn about specific areas of interest, and to keep up with current happenings around the world. Instagram has become a widely-used media source by people of all generations. The app started as a way to post simple photos and videos from one’s life. Now, the app has developed into being used widely by different businesses and people looking to expand their audiences, and share what they want. One aspect of Instagram that I recognize and support, in regard to accessing new information, is that Instagram will show “related posts” to the one that is already being viewed. This allows for the user to learn and attain information about the same/similar topic as was shown in the initial post. Furthermore, the ability to click on a user’s profile and view their entire account as a whole is extremely useful, especially if that user has a dedicated page to a certain vocation.