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My children do not follow the news — at least not in a way that is easily recognizable to an old, mainstream media relic like me.
They do not read the newspaper, which is understandable given that all my subscriptions are online. We don’t have cable, so TV news isn’t readily available, and any attempt to listen to the talk radio in the car is met with a litany of complaints, a swift co-pilot coup and the latest Spotify playlist.
My kids — a high-schooler and a second-year university student — get the majority of their information from Instagram and TikTok, and while I’m pretty sure most of it is mindless if wildly entertaining drivel, that doesn’t mean that the real world doesn’t make it through the incessant cacophony.
“On a scale from 1-10 (10 being very, very concerned), how concerning is the stuff going on in Ukraine?” the older one texted me this week, knowing full well that their news junkie of an old man would be following it closely. One of the many reasons I think my kids don’t keep up with the news is because they know I will keep them informed if anything truly terrifying is going on.
And yes, I think Russia’s invasion of Ukraine qualifies.
As a card-carrying member of generation X — I’ve got the Astra-Zeneca stamp of my vaccine passport to prove it — my childhood nightmares were filled with Cold War scenarios involving nuclear strikes that vaporized the world several times over. Modern Russia making nuclear threats has nine-year-old me reverting to his hide-under-the-covers coping strategy.
But it’s actually social media that is helping me stay informed and keep those deep-seated fears at bay.
While I still rely on conventional news sources for much of my information, I find Twitter to be an excellent source of information and analysis from experts I would otherwise never be exposed. I’ve been reading threads about how Russian billionaires hide their money and how cutting off the country’s access to currency markets could force them to back down. And I’ve been watching, in real-time, the bravery of the Ukrainian people and leadership.
My answer to my daughter: yes, you should be concerned. The world is interconnected in previously unfathomable ways, so the events half a world away can have personal consequences more quickly than ever. When terrible things happen, when people are suffering, we should ask ourselves what we can do — no matter how small and inconsequential it may seem.
Then I sent my daughter some links, some from mainstream media sources and others from niche publications offering nuanced or historical takes on current events. I sent her some Twitter threads and people to follow. In turn, she sent me some TikTok videos.
The best way to fight fear — and this is what got nine-year-old me to start reading newspapers and study history — is to learn about what scares you. Once you know more, you can decide what to do — and help in any way you can.
