Generation Y... Excited to be here.

I may be an old soul in the mere definition of it, but often times I think about what makes me happy, and yes, writing and reading are included on that list. Call me a nerd, but I think it's an incredible outlet to help catalog thoughts, feelings, stories or even advice.

Writing, much like the printed newspaper every day, seems to be a dying breed with today's generations. People don't have time to sit down and spend hour(s) retelling stories to their publics, when in all reality, the world and media is moving so fast via social outlets, that people know more things about you and your surroundings than you do sometimes. The difference between our generation and the ones older than us... our parents, aunts, uncles and even grandparents, is that we're more apt to change, although we may not like it.

The only problem I see with that is, large percentages of our generation are using their social media news feeds and Instagram-filtered photos as fact, in which case, more often than not, it's skewed. The change has become a paradigm shift. It's become a subconscious decision to "glue" yourself to the happenings of your social media feeds daily, hourly and even multiple times in a ten minute span, to clue into what's happening in the world. This is news... or so you think, when you're discussing with a friend later that day about what you saw.

Political parties have agendas, and subsequently many Twitter handles supporting their causes. Organizations have causes, and use sympathy to sell their ideas with YouTube videos. Businesses have bottom lines to hit, and they use strategy to pursue that via people you may subscribe to, and even be "friends" with on Facebook. This doesn't mean it's fact, fiction, or myth otherwise, it just means your constant buzz MIGHT be just what it seems. It's a completely brillant, over-stimulating, constant barrage of a social network that makes connecting with billions of people, worldwide, at any time of day not only possible, but very plausible.

Everyone who knows me, understands I'm pro-social media. I am an adventurer in many forms of the word, and it's fun to catalog weekends with friends, trips, reminiscing with old pals, and beautiful(ly altered) photos via cropping, filters and location tags. But the thing we must remember as a generation is to spend time reading the facts of society from a (hopeful) unbiased source, or wherever you choose to gather your news.

At a certain point in the next 10-15 years, we're going to be the individuals in upper management, the people whose lives are altered by stocks, investors and 401K's. The people who need to know what the pros/cons of new policies are, and how to set yourself up for a decent retirement. The people standing in line at the polls who will vote based on concepts of foreign affairs, fiscal policy and the United States Constitution versus who they like better, or what race they are. It's scary, but it's real.

The reason for my soapbox this afternoon is because I started to become the #1 culprit of all of this. I used to be good at spending 30 mins every morning checking the headlines, scanning the paper, and now, I was catching up with what happened on social media from the night before. How ignorant had I become?

Yesterday, I went to pick up a prescription I have been getting prescribed from the same doctor, and filled at the same pharmacy for over a year, and the cost was nothing. Zilch. Zero dollars spent and I was walking out of there with something that used to cost me close to $100. The reason: Obamacare. I knew about it, the term anyways. The idea that an American policy was being put into place that included very socialist ideas. Whether or not my political beliefs align with a policy or not, isn't the point. I had something affecting me, negative or positive, and I didn't even know the exact cause.

So today, I spent an hour over lunch understanding the policy. Familiarizing myself with the pros/cons and reviews. I have formed my own opinion, and can now actually speak to the topic should it ever come up, or someone else like myself was naive to the concept.

I spent the first year of this blog cataloging my (so-called) happy life, and sharing with friends and family. Last year, I spent an entire year using this outlet as a diary. A tell-all for the healing I was going through. Cleaning up the mess of what had become of my life, and sorting through the rubble. And I don't regret it. I needed it. It helped me understand things better. And it helped continue to shape the woman I am still becoming.

Today isn't the day where this column becomes a lecture, or advice, because Lord knows I haven't mastered anything enough to give it out. It just becomes the day where I say to myself, just because college is over, doesn't mean we need to stop learning. Stop yearning for new knowledge and tips. Because at a certain point, "growing up" turns into "grown up," and I don't want to be the one walking into a brick wall.

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If ever you'd like to know what I go to for news:

• Zite is a great iPhone app to put all of your interests and hobbies into and it will populate sources for your enjoyment. 
• I very much enjoy The Detroit News & Free Press for local and state-wide news, however they have a bias towards MSU and although I enjoy them, I like the boys in AA better.
• For international or overseas news, I usually check the NY Times.
• And should you ever want amusement, entertainment or gossip from your news source, I usually find The Huffington Post does a good job of having serious and light-hearted articles.