Everyone who went to public high school remembers at least some aspect of the excitement of keeping up with the current trends. These days, it’s quite different. Some might say it’s easier than ever to stay up-to-date, but it can also be incredibly overwhelming and hard to suss out what to believe. If you’re looking for ways to stay informed of current news and pop culture trends, here are 5 tips you should try out.

1. Social Media is Good, When Used Wisely

Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are more popular than ever, but that doesn’t make them very easy to navigate intelligently. If you wish to follow a specific topic such as politics, entertainment news or current celebrity news, follow accounts that deal specifically with that topic. Trusted sources are always preferred, if not required. Just always keep in mind that people are able to post whatever they want, but that doesn’t automatically make them an expert.

2. Find Favored Sources

When looking for current news, it’s best to pick a source you trust. That doesn’t mean keep a closed mind to other opinions. In fact, you should carefully choose a news source that is as free from outside influence as possible, and unfortunately those can be hard to find. Corporate interests have run wild in the media industry, so take every piece of news you hear from a corporate source with a grain of salt.

3. Don’t Go Overboard

With the current news seeming bleaker than ever, try to avoid immersing yourself too much, as it can easily affect your mental health. Take breaks from social media and TV news, and give your mind a rest from the chaos. One of the most important parts of paying attention to current events is being able to give a well-thought out opinion, and that requires you to step back and formulate your thoughts.

4. Gab with Co-Workers

It’s best to avoid politics in this realm, but if you’re looking to get interested in celebrity news or gossip, many times you can find people in the workplace to engage with on the topic. Gossiping is a lot less harmful when you’re doing it about celebrities rather than other co-workers, so look at it as a harmless way to blow off steam at work!

5. Podcasts

Listening to podcasts can be an excellent way to get a daily or weekly dose of whatever news you’re looking for. With an endless variety of topics and subjects to choose from, finding a steady selection of podcasts to fill your time spent driving or working shouldn’t be too difficult at all.

Do you have any other tips for keeping up with news? If so, share them with us down below, and thanks for reading!