How do Students Keep up with World Events?

And is it Expanding or Retracting their World Views?

By Elle S., Grade 10

In today’s digital world, news travels fast. Through our screens and social media, MIS students are constantly exposed to global events and a potentially wide range of opinions. But how do MIS students really stay informed and what sources do they rely on and trust the most?

Many students who were interviewed reported that they get most of their information from family discussions and conversations with friends. They also said that since social media is such a large part of their daily lives, they often are exposed to global events through it.

 “Of course, TikTok, because as soon as something is like really important, it comes up on TikTok for everyone”, Jasmin S., grade 10, explained.

She also pointed out that she does not particularly trust everything she hears on social media.

“No that’s why that’s why I would look it up after because not everything you see on social media is true”, Jasmin said.

Jasmin’s response shows that while social media is often the first-place students encounter breaking news, it is not always the most trusted source. If social media is the platform that students are first exposed to news, I think it is important to think how the information is being selected and presented to us.

This raises the question: is social media really exposing students to a variety of viewpoints or is most of what they see shaped by proximity? This means that what we consume online is a product of what we trust, already believe in, and what we engage with the most. People’s online social circle is key in informing them of world affairs. The make-up of our social circle then has a huge impact on how wide or narrow our lens is. 

This is not limited to our life on social media. At MIS, we are lucky that we are surrounded by staff, teachers and students who have families’ that come from all around the world. Even so, in some ways we are still a part of a “social bubble” , the culture of an international school, despite its diversity, can shape a collective mindset formed by environment, shared experiences and our daily interactions. 

Social media often seems global, but slowly we are learning about the dark side of algorithms and how they shape what we see on social media. They do this by giving us content that they think we will like, keep us hooked and engaged, and what we have interacted with in the past.

 This is not good for keeping up with global events, because the information we are seeing is not global and does not come from a wide range of people but is instead what the community accepts and understands.

Sometimes, we need to confront ideas we don’t like or don’t fully understand, even if they come from far beyond our social circle.

All this show that we get our news from people we trust -family and friends – but also from people we don’t know that are out there on the internet. Do we trust them? What are their intentions?

The question we have to ask ourselves then is how we as a community can make sure we find news we can trust, even though it might make us feel uncomfortable.