Facebook. Twitter. Blogs. Myspace. Our generation thinks we’re so connected.

Despite the tools at our disposal, have we created a false sense of being informed?

Most of us sign into Facebook or Twitter hundreds of times a day and know exactly what all of our “friends” are up to – but do we know what is going on in Iraq or about a public policy debate in Washington that could have a direct impact on us? Probably not.

We do know that the guy that sat in front of us in biology freshman year just ran his iPhone through the washing machine on accident. But that’s not being informed.

Being informed requires a conscious effort to ask, “what’s going on?” and “how is this going to affect me?”

Our generation has tossed aside traditional news outlets and opted for ones that only keeps us hyper-informed about individuals we have relationships with.

I’m not advocating that we stop using Facebook or Twitter. I’m just saying that reading something other than status updates may open some of our eyes to the outside world.

When I started college four years ago, I expected my fellow students to be well-informed and in touch with the world around them. But the majority of us just hit refresh on Facebook rather than cruise over to news Web sites.

And that’s a shame.

Social networking is a powerful tool, that when used correctly, can indeed inform. Linking to a news article can quickly tell hundreds of people about an important development. This rarely happens.

Instead, we’re more consumed with what others are having for dinner, creating an illusion of being informed.

Plenty of great journalism still exists. We just need to navigate away from our precious social networking sites for a moment and embrace it. Discover how it feels to know what’s transpiring in the world around you. Facebook will be there when you get back. Along with a few new updates.

- Justin Davidson is a senior from Lawrenceville majoring in newspapers