Citizen Now: Why Being Informed Is More Important Than Ever

A war in Ukraine. Rising inflation and fuel prices. Rampant misinformation. Yet another variant of COVID taking hold. And that was just last month. 

The world is changing more rapidly than ever, and with the flood of information coming from social media, news sites and television, it's easy to get overwhelmed. That's where Citizen Now comes in. CNET's latest series aims to empower you with the knowledge you need to navigate our increasingly complex world. 

Staying informed is essential to being a good citizen in this digital world. That means everything from getting a handle on your own digital footprint (and how to erase that presence) to discovering how misinformation is spread -- and what people are doing about it. 

Our kickoff story takes a look at why it's so critical to understand what kind of digital identity you've created through years of interactions on social media, with online retailers and even your Yelp reviews. Other stories touch on the role social media plays with digital activism, the steps that can be taken to counter misinformation and how we might apply good digital citizenship to the multiple, burgeoning metaverses. Lastly, we'll take a look at how digital citizenship works in practice in Estonia. 

Our initial batch of stories in the first part of Citizen Now deal with you and your digital identity. Later, we'll examine the issues happening around your communities, whether it's a breakdown at your local statehouse or the increasingly vocal conflicts at the school board level. Finally, we'll explore national issues, such as voting rights ahead of the midterm elections. 

There's plenty happening, and it can all be a lot to wrap your mind around. Citizen Now is your lifeline and sanity check for all that.