It is nearly impossible to get solid statistics on such an abstract concept as apathy. This is because apathy is a mindset, not something like a physical disease or measurable action. However, I did find information that has to do with the way I am trying to combat this problem. I discovered where teens typically get there news from, and how much volunteering they do to help out their world.

Teenagers have many resources that they use to keep up with the news. The newspaper is one of these tools. According to an article in the Newspaper Research Journal1, 75% of teens spent 2.5 hours a week reading news papers. This may sound quite encouraging, but that result is misleading. The most popular sections that the teens read in the newspaper are comics, sports, entertainment, and horoscopes. Even with the high percentage, newspapers are still the least likely choice for an adolescent to consult. With the other forms of media more accessible to teenagers, it is very likely that newspaper use will continue to decline. And according to Newspaper Research Journal, if young people do not consult this traditional resource, then they are not likely to pick the habit up as they grow older. All that being said, it is probably a good idea that I didn’t decide to center my project on a series of editorials, since they most likely wouldn’t have reached their intended audience anyway.

Moving more towards technology, teenagers also get their news from television. A survey cited in an iMedia Connection2 article says that a whopping 68% of people ages 8-18 have televisions in their rooms. That is quite the potential audience. Their news is not coming from traditional TV news programs. 46% of teens say that they watch shows such as The Daily Show, South Park, and The Colbert Report to keep up with current events, as stated by Media Life3. These programs may be comedy, but they do present news in a way that attracts adolescents. I find myself turning to these programs for information. South Park usually gives me a completely different perspective on world issues, nestled among a few crude jokes. The Colbert Report allows me to see stories on a daily basis, and I enjoy the satirical portrayal of a conservative newscaster presented by Steven Colbert.

Finally, here is some information about the medium I am using for my project. According to Media Life3, use of the internet for supplying news is increasing for teens. The majority use the Internet once a week to look up articles and research events. Again, young people are not turning to typical news sources for answers. 66% prefer using sites like Google and Yahoo. This is probably due to the fact that they frequently use these sites for non-educational purposes anyway, so they are familiar with and trust them. Lastly, a statistic that directly relates to my project: 31% of teens post comments about the news online or on blogs. This may not sound like a lot of people, but in my opinion, curing apathy isn’t about just idly looking at the news. By discussing the news, you are giving yourself a voice, and indicating that you care about your subject. So though this percentage may be less than half the number that use the major search engine, the people who discuss topics are, in the context of my project, benefiting more.

Of course, all this learning about the world would be for naught if teens just sat around idle. People taking action and volunteering is one of the ultimate indications that they care. A results of a survey found in Child Trends DataBank4 shows how many teens were likely to volunteer at least once a month. For those students who were planning on attending college, 35% volunteered. 22% of students who were stopping not attending college were active in their community. In my opinion, this is because students are well aware of how good service activities look on their college applications. So it would appear that students don’t care about their world and that they are working for their own benefit. However, how can one explain the 22% that volunteer with no educational future? They are investing time into their community in order to save the world. The study goes on to say that those who volunteer when they are young are more likely to continue to volunteer as they get older. This highlights the importance of enforcing morals and ridding youth of apathy; the future depends on it.

Sources:

1. Pardun, Carol J., and Glenn W. Scott. “Reading Newspapers Ranked Lowest Versus Other Media for Early Teens.” Newspaper Research Journal Summer 2004 29 Oct 2006 (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3677/is_200407/ai_n9432122).

2. Anfuso, Dawn. “iMedia Connection: For Kids, Media Usage Isn’t Either/Or.” For Kids, Media Usage Isn’t Either/Or. 10 Mar 2005. iMedia Connection. 29 Oct 2006 (http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/5228.asp).

3. Vasquez, Diego. “Media Life Magazine.” How Teens Use the Web for News. 26 Sep 2006. Media Life. 29 Oct 2006 (http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7510.asp).

4. “Child Trends DataBank-Volunteering.” Volunteering. 2004. Child Trends DataBank. 29 Oct 2006 (http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/indicators/20Volunteering.cfm).

The “house of God” was a mobile tent called the tabernacle. It was set up in various places as Moses and the Israelites roamed the desert in search of the Promised Land. This seems like a strange dwelling for a god, but it was very elaborately built. Scholars have often argued about where the design for the tent came from. It seems that the tabernacle was built according to the design of Ramesses’ tent from the battle of Kadesh, the image of which is found on various reliefs in Africa. Since the tabernacle was modeled after the war tent, this implies that the Israelites saw their god as a divine military commander.

Many cultures have theologies that relate the story of Exodus to their own past struggles. This is because the slavery and oppression the Hebrews experienced in Egypt can be so easily related to other events in history. As a result, many want the Native Americans to write their own theology. There is a problem with this though. In Exodus, the Israelites were delivered by Yahweh from their occupation into the Promised Land. Yahweh’s benevolence did not extend to the people already living there. The Hebrew God ordered all of the Canaanites to be killed, giving all of the land to the Chosen People. Native Americans relate to the Canaanites since nearly the same thing happened to them when they were nearly wiped out by European immigrants. So obviously, they are not eager to adopt the Exodus story as their own.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 29th, 2006 at 5:12 pm and is filed under Week 07: Research Stats. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.