THE NEW YOUNG TIMES

When was the last time you picked up a newspaper? Perhaps you reused it as fire-starter, gift wrap or you read the colour comics at the back. I bet it’s been a long time, if ever, that you’ve read a physical newspaper from start to finish. According to Business Insider, 64 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds consume news online — which includes social media. The younger generations no longer receive news from traditional channels, and the concern is that could mean they’re not engaging with what’s happening in the rest of the world.

The early 2000s saw print newspaper readership decrease by about 10 per cent each year until the rise of digital devices, which allowed for mobile content. Statistics Canada figures show that between 2014 and 2016, the operating revenue of newspapers decreased by 19.8 per cent, advertising sales fell 21.8 per cent, and circulation decreased by 10 per cent. Since you can access almost anything online now, the demand for print news is decreasing sharply. That doesn’t necessarily mean people are less in the know about global news stories.

When Dr. Kym Stewart — a communications instructor at Capilano University — asks her 20-year-old daughter where she reads the news, Tayme replies, “I don’t have time, I’m studying for midterms!” Tayme mostly uses Facebook for school projects, but comes across news stories there. Stewart respects her daughter’s willingness to say, “I don’t know what the hell is going on; can someone explain this to me?” They use these channels as a starting point to proceed with their own research on topics using more credible sources. Stewart trusts that if Tayme “wanted to understand an A TECH-SAVVY

GENERATION IS piece together the history and world chalCHANGING THE GAME lenges of today. Once we outgrow the hype of social media, we crave real stories told by

FOR TRADITIONAL real people. NEWS OUTLETS. THEY A 2015 study called the Media Insight Project (a collaboration between the Amer-

MAY BE HARDER TO ican Press Institute and the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs) showed that “69 REACH, BUT IT DOESN’T per cent of millennials get news at least

MEAN THEY’RE NOT once a day” and 47 per cent of millennials use Facebook to do so. Rather than going LISTENING. directly to news outlets, younger generations are retrieving “news and information [that is] woven into an often continuous story by BRETT YOUNG but mindful way… to connect to the world generally, which mixes news with social connection, problem- solving, social action and entertainment.” A source from that event she could do the footwork needed — she project, 25-year-old Elese, states that “social doesn’t believe all she sees or hears.” Years of media keeps me more informed than I could yelling at the TV and ranting about misrep- be with the other forms of news… By quickly resentation has taught her daughter to use a scrolling through my feed, I can see the major skeptical lens when consuming media. stories going on. If I need to read deeper into it,

Stewart believes history was written at I can go to a credible sources website.” a specific time by important people (of that A typical routine for most university time), but “there were a lot of voices missing, students encompasses a tight class schedso maybe if young people are investigating ule sandwiched with full-time work. It’s no [those stories], they might investigate in a dif- wonder during their downtime that students ferent way to hear those marginalized voices rely heavily on bubble-gum content, mindless and actually get a better understanding about music or entertainment produced to appeal what’s going on.” The positive aspect of this to the masses. Stewart mentions that student is the ability to debunk old myths, challenge life is a bubble, too. As a professor, she knows the misconception that “everything in history how much heavy content is thrown at students is true,” and find different viewpoints in a everyday and understands how social media is way that may enrich our understanding of a used as an escape. story. Stewart is hopeful that her daughter is Dr. Ilona Jerabek, president of PsychTests “worldly in other ways… although maybe not AIM Inc., a human resources consulting firm geographically.” She sees a sense of wonder based in Montreal, emphasizes that youth and confidence in Tayme, and her ability to constantly “dealing with stressful situations by

resorting to distraction can lead to escapism, where the individual completely loses touch with reality through social media, video games, books, movies and, on the more extreme side, drugs and alcohol. Temporary distraction is fine, but you can’t avoid your problems forever.” She suggests that “young people [should] find better ways to cope with stress through social support, or mindfulness and meditation in order to change a negative, defeatist attitude to a more positive one.” Stewart agrees with Jerabek’s statement; however, she believes it affects our population as a whole. She thinks it’s improperly labelled as solely a newer generation’s condition. Social support can be a “way out” of the escapism trend; it’s about creating spaces where connections can happen face-to-face. “The awkwardness of teen years helps them become functional adults, but when those social situations are damped by media — when they are mediated by technologies — I think a lot will be missed.”

As a tech-savvy generation, the capacity to conduct thoughtful research is still there. In Stewart’s first-year media class, she notes that one student went as far as turning off all the colour from his phone screen. This made it less vibrant and attractive, and he found he spent less time on it. She sees that “each year… students are able to take a step back, critically analyze and carefully consider the ramification of constant connection.” Again, the emphasis on reducing our reliance on quick-hit digital media shouldn’t rest exclusively on the younger generations.

“The more we provide space for dialogue (away from online distraction) the more it becomes normalized,” Stewart says, “and the more people find those lovely spaces of face to face, or meditation or mindfulness practices, or social experiences.”

With its late 2018 iOS update, Apple tried making it easier for iPhone users to discover trending news articles with a swift swipe to the left. The Apple News widget compiles the top stories from various publications in topics like entertainment, politics, food or science and caters to your interests based on what you pick. Unfortunately, the highlighted articles on feeds may not always come from reliable sources.

Stewart discloses that she’s apprehensive of news coverage. When she is truly interested in the topic, she’ll “do [her] own research and investigate a bit more or go to the sources [she] really trust[s].” She’s cautious when discussing news stories in conversations with others, because she doesn’t always trust that the full story was revealed. A 2019 Statista survey determined that, on average, 58 per cent of Canadians trust news media whereas only 34 per cent of Americans do. The highest percentage of trustworthiness is among Finns, at 62 per cent.

“Contrary to the idea that social media creates a polarizing filter bubble, exposing people to only a narrow range of opinions, 70 per cent of millennials say that their social media feeds are comprised of diverse viewpoints evenly mixed between those similar to and different from their own” the Media Insight Project found. In addition, 16 per cent said their feeds contain different viewpoints than their own. Instead of focusing on the shift away from print news as a young generation’s response, we need to look at how all ages interact with media and learn about the real world in front of them, not merely the one reflected imperfectly on a digital device. ■

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated in 2016 that, on average, full-time university students spend four hours a day socializing, relaxing, or engaged in “leisure” (a.k.a. scrolling on their phones while simultaneously watching Netflix). Leisure time rated as the second-highest daily activity in hours after the 8.8 hours they spent sleeping.