Let's face it, as college students, we all tend to live life in a bubble that ignores the rest of the world. It's hard to skim through news headlines when you have, like, six papers and a presentation due in three hours. This is why, for the bogged-down college student, quick ways to stay in touch with the rest of the world are for the best.

If you are anything like me, you tend to find yourself unwilling to do any recreational reading when you already read more than enough to last a lifetime for a single class. Instead of having my eyes read anything else makes them glaze over, I turn to videos on YouTube channels that can explain it to me in ways that make much more sense than the heavy academic language that is often used on news channels. Even shows like "The Daily Show," can often help me understand the news much better than I could on my own.

In this tech age, information is at our fingertips. We don't even have to actively look for it to have it knocking at our front door. This is why just paying attention when you're spending time on social media can help keep you informed. I honestly wouldn't even know what was going on in the news if it weren't for the tons of people who clog up my Facebook feed with a play-by-play of the evening news. Take advantage of those people. Read those statues and those hashtags.

Just think, a few years ago, staying in touch was much, much, much harder. News was obtained through long radio broadcasts, thick issues of the Sunday paper, or just here-say. World events have never been easier to follow now that we have thousands of resources that catalog them in ways that are, not only easy to understand, but are also usefully organized in neat little tags so that we can filter out the information that we aren't interested in.

Even though sometimes being held responsible for one more thing in addition to all of the school work seems like it would be enough to make you crack, it's kind of a civil duty to be aware of what is happening in the world. Even if that just means following the trending thoughts on Twitter. Be a responsible member of society and set aside five minutes of your day to stay on top of world events. No matter how you come about your news, it is important to be aware of the world that you live in. Part of not being easily influenced by people who would benefit from your blissfully unaware state is to be informed and to take an active role in understanding world events. You never know when it will come in handy.