Have you ever noticed how the media picks and chooses stories that they believe will become big so that they can get the most views, sell the most magazines, or simply just to get the most attention for their company’s name? It’s happening all around us each and every day. The media controls what we see and there is almost nothing we can do about it. Plain and simple, the world revolves around texting, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

The world that we currently live in is a pretty scary place, if you really think about it. I think it is a little more frightening that most teenagers, and even some adults for that matter, can’t go more than 15 minutes without looking at their phone to see who recently texted them.

If you went over to your TV right now and turned on your local news channel, I can bet you that there will be at least three different stories about people who were shot or murdered. The sad truth of the matter is that “death”, “riots”, and “celebrity drama/gossip” are what best sell a news story.

So who actually decides “yes” this is going to be the next big story or “no” let’s forget about that person or that major event and move on to the next? That’s a difficult question to answer, but I would go out on a whim and say that we, as the viewers, essentially choose. It might not seem like it, but we put the celebrities in Hollywood on a pedestal to hear about their drama filled lives. Yet, there are countless unsung heroes that are disregarded each and every day.

The media shows us topics such as whether Taylor gave Kanye permission to use parts of her song, but issues such as refugees being driven from their homeland are not as publicized. Or why Rob Kardashian unfollowed Blac Chyna on Instagram, while a 19-year-old ISIS teen, who recently killed a priest with reports of a smile on his face goes unnoticed.

So what am I getting at with all this information? I am trying to convince others to stay in tune with what is happening in the world. Don’t just rely on your Facebook or Twitter news feed to tell you the latest news. Read a newspaper or a scholarly article online. Anything to inform yourself and others that we need to start caring a little less about technology and a little more about the people and situations around us.