We Can't Seem to Win

Two years ago, I sat in my very first journalism class, completely overwhelmed and unsure of what to expect.  Though I was surrounded by other unknowing freshman who were also on the verge of wetting themselves, I had convinced myself that they were smarter and more ready for the next four years than I was.  I had a backpack full of crisp, colorful folders, fancy pens (after all, pencils were SO high school) and hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks (because you always use them on the first day, right?).  I'm sure I looked like I had it all together, but on the inside I was completely terrified and had anxiety over being called on by the professor without even raising my hand.

"What's in the news?"

That was the very first question I was asked, and so my higher education began. YES! I knew the answer.  All I could do was thank God for my constant need to be connected and all-knowing of the world around me.  While my iPhone seemed to be attached to my hand and my eyes glued to social media, my friends and family just never quite understood the addic...need. The first day of my college career, it all became clear: I am a product of the digita era, and it seemed so natural to embrace the resources surrounding me.  I had fallen into the right place.

Our generation was the first to be exposed to digital media.  With that, there came an expectation to be in the know.  This was both a natural development as the resources became available and a pressure brought on by peers and professors who were also feeling the pull of the digital age.  Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, discussion boards, online chat rooms, smart phones, apps, on-demand television and online radio.  The list is never ending...literally.  The digital age is advancing so quickly that it's almost difficult to keep up.

Now, it is made very clear to us that we respect and follow what our professors tell us to do because they are older and much wiser. Fine, I can dig it.  I've come to realize that we will and have undoubtedly encountered professors who make us feel that we're doing something wrong when it comes to our media consumption.  They never had in college what we have now, so by gum "you kids are lazy and rely too heavily on this digital stuff." We're at a constant battle with the pull of media consumption and fight of doing it all wrong.

With that, as we analyze the effects of media in our classes, we feel inclined to speak negatively about the monster that has managed to dominate our lives, for lack of a better, highly-exaggerated expression.  Maybe we're over-analyzing the negatives and forgetting to embrace the positives.  Is it really that bad, after all?  We are more connected. So what? We manage our time differently to include media. So what? We check our emails, Facebook and Twitter multiple times daily. So what? We receive news updates as they come in. So what?  Why shouldn't we swallow every bit of news and communication capability possible?  Why shouldn't we use and embrace what is right at our fingertips?  If it is used correctly, I just can't see the harm.

What's in the news today? I bet you know the answer.