Teens Look to the Internet for News

by Maria Claudia Garcia-Rada ‘13

As technology dominates people’s interaction with the world around them, teens are at the forefront of a major shift in the way people access news about current events and other interests. In a Warrior survey of 138 students, respondents that go to online news sources equal the amount of those that turn to traditional print sources such as newspapers and magazines.

While students have access to more news sources than ever before, only six percent consider themselves very informed about current events and only another 34 percent consider themselves informed.

“It is important [to stay informed] so you can keep a relatively stimulating conversation … It keeps your eyes open to the world around and lets you formulate your own opinion on things,” said sophomore Dean Emerson.

Although more than half of students surveyed do not think of themselves as being informed about current events, over 70 percent of students said they check news sources every day to a few times a week.

“It is important for high school students to be educated because most of them will be voting in a few years. Voters need to keep up with the news and understand America’s political climate in order to make an informed decision about who to vote for,” said junior Alex Boscolo.

The ways in which young adults are getting their news, however, are vastly different compared to older generations because more and more established publications, such as The Washington Post, are appealing to readers through their websites. Nearly 20 percent of surveyed students read a newspaper or news magazine online every day or a few times a week. At the same time, a nearly identical percentage of students read print publications.

“I think it’s nice to actually hold the newspaper article in your hand … Reading an actual newspaper is just awesome. [It] makes me feel important. It’s a link back to the olden days and how people did things,” said junior Hailey Hershey.

Freshman Kyle Lee recognizes advantages of online publications beyond the issues of reader preference. “Online news and TV news cut back [on the use of] paper resources,” he said.

A very recent development in media is the use of Facebook as a means to provide news content, and 48 percent of teens now get their information by reading news updates on Facebook or in text messages. “It’s free and easy,” said senior Sushmita Malik.