A check on governmental power stands out to me because it is important that the government be regulated and the people's voices heard. I often forget that we have a right to speak out against the government because the government censors everything now. If the people did not hold the government accountable, then the government could and would do anything they want. When enough people speak out against the government, the government has to listen or take action. The Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches all work like a triangle where each has power over the other, but none have too much power. The system of checks and balances makes sure that no one branch has too much power. As it stands, it is a good system, but as the government tries to silence the people, more and more people speak up. 

My Top Five Sources of News

My biggest source of news is Instagram. It is how I connect to others and stay up to date on what my friends and people I follow are doing. I do not typically pay attention to traditional news, so I do not follow accounts like the president or news companies. I am more interested in video game updates, convention locations, and voice actors/celebrities. However, sometimes I see posts about elections, protests, and other big events. 

My second biggest source of news is TikTok. With TikTok and Instagram, I take everything I see there with a grain of salt. Both sites use heavy editing and track your interests through their algorithm, so it is easy to only see media that you are interested in. It can be hard to get other people's perspectives on issues. Like Instagram, I use TikTok for video game updates, conventions, and keeping up with celebrities, so I rarely see any big news. 

I use HoyoLab the most when I am looking for game updates. This is the hub for all HoYoverse games such as Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero. They have the latest version information, and upcoming game events. Sometimes they also have web events where you can earn rewards to redeem in-game. You can connect with other players through this app. Players can make posts about whatever content they like as long as it follows community guidelines. 

I use Discord for video games as well. I am in groups for multiple different games. In these groups. the developers can personally send out information about the games or even hold video chats. This can be a good source of information since info can come straight from the developers. If I am not in an official game group, I can still get game information from other people in the community. 

Since I do not use any news apps, I would say YouTube is my last source of news. I watch videos about...video games! Who would have guessed?? Like I have said about the other apps, I get updates and more information about upcoming games and updates through YouTube. Sometimes I also watch streamers and video game events like the Game Awards. I hear about news happening outside like elections from adds since I do not pay for YouTube premium.