The Importance of Civic Education

During my senior year of high school, I travelled to Washington, D.C. with a group of students from my AP Government class to compete in that year's national We The People competition put on by the Center for Civic Education. In the competition, we participated in simulated congressional hearings where we would deliver prepared statements …

The Mental Side Effects of Being Individualistic

Between the 1960's and now, Americans have become increasingly individualistic. Author Michael Hendrix in an article for National Review reports that "roughly 43 million adults over the age of 45 are estimated to suffer from chronic loneliness." This number has increased over the years, Hendrix writes - 40 percent of American adults say they are …

Civic Engagement as Response to Crisis: Then and Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3i3NC6hsgs CBS New York story about communities taking action amid the coronavirus pandemic The United States has struggled greatly with civic engagement over the years. While the 1960 Presidential Election saw a 62.8 percent voter turnout rate, this number slipped to 48.9 percent just 36 years later in 1996. But voting hasn't been the only …

Editorial: Civic Engagement in the Digital Age

Red, white, and blue "vote" pins (photo courtesy of ABC11) How do we practice civic engagement in modern-day America? From voting to protesting to tweeting, civic engagement is something people participate in constantly; in today’s era of digital media, we are exposed to it on a daily basis. The question then becomes, what do we …

The Human Error Behind Algorithmic Mistakes

YouTube error screen (photo courtesy of Brad Reed) The list of times where problematic content has been spread across the internet through manipulation of an algorithm is nearly never-ending. Many examples of this can be found on Facebook. The platform uses its algorithm to create a "Year in Review" highlight video for its users. While …

The Issue with Media Literacy Creating Skepticism

"Fake news" has become a phrase heard by many on a regular basis. This increase in discussion of misinformation and disinformation has led people to search for ways to sort out what media they can trust. One proposed solution has been to teach media literacy, which encourages consumers to be skeptical of the information they …