When I was in middle school, my peers knew close to nothing about the world and how it worked. No one knew or cared about news in the world; instead each cared only about entertainment and her own, personal milieu. Little rabbits in a cage, hopping around and being oblivious: they didn't care for events, or politics, or anything that wasn't fun to them. Life revolved around school and entertainment, and nothing else.

Many people do not follow the news. Instead, they busy themselves with trivial and unimportant things. This is especially true for young people, who do not seek out news beyond their social media feed. The world can be a dark and scary place, but it is our duty as members of a civilization to know what is going on in the world. Without knowledge of the world's events, we risk being alienated from anything outside our little sphere of occupation. Often our opinions are swayed by biased sources, which simply reinforce what we think, not exposing us to others' ideas. Without following the events in the world, we can become ignorant and detached. Following news outside of their little sphere allows people to affect the lives of those with different perspectives.

Winston Churchill's famous remark, "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter," sounds rather obnoxious, but it does have a ring of truth to it. According to The Washington Post's George Will, "During the Cold War in 1964...only 38 percent of Americans knew the Soviet Union was not a member of NATO." A basic knowledge of world affairs is shockingly missing from a majority of the American population. Yet plenty of those Americans could have described the latest episode of The Andy Griffith Show or The Addams Family back in 1964. In a 2006 Zogby poll, only forty-two percent of polled Americans could name the three branches of the federal government, but almost seventy-five percent could name each of the Three Stooges. Fifty-eight percent of polled voters could not name the branches of the government they are permitted to elect. Many American voters do not have a clue about current affairs or important information, giving some weight to Mr. Churchill's statement.

Entertainment can be enjoyable, but news can change the world and lives. Entertainment only entertains. The recent events in Syria have uprooted lives, caused political battles, and drawn attention to rebel groups. However, Miley Cyrus' latest antics are a hot topic of discussion. People do not wish to dwell on troubling events in the world, instead preferring to pay attention to comparatively trivial things, leading down the path to ignorance. Pondering tragic events too long, however, can also cause depression and make people think the world is only a cold, dark place. Spending time with happier things prevents people's becoming too cynical and cold to the world. Focusing on only entertainment can lead to ignorance, but focusing on only news can lead to a cold, indifferent view of the world. World events have a lasting, physical effect on the lives of people, while entertainment is temporary.

Young people, in particular, often prefer to obsess over popular culture. As of January 29, 2014, Facebook had 757 million daily users. That means roughly one in seventeen people on the planet use Facebook daily. Compare that number to the total viewership for all major news networks, which is 3.7 million daily viewers. Hundreds of millions of young people have turned away from news in favor of popular culture. The future of the world is in the hands of people who do not follow the news or events in the world. By ignoring news that does not directly affect them, young people are ignorant of events outside of their area.

Being informed about the world allows people to understand the significance of events that occur. Not following the news closes teens off from both the wonderful and scary world out there. Young people, detached from important events in life, are absorbed by trivial, ephemeral events. News can change lives, start revolutions, and alter the face of the planet. People must follow current events, or risk the path of ignorance: seeking out news beyond one's normal sphere of interest creates informed and knowledgeable citizens.