These are frustrating times in which we live.

Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle and social media, it becomes very easy to become immersed in an information silo.

I used to refuse to share any posts on social media, unless they contained accurate information with verifiable sources cited and/or linked.

Unfortunately, most of them required people to actually spend some time reading and digesting information, so I rarely share anything in that fashion anymore.

However, I have succumbed to the witty and pithy statements made by the intelligentsia on the interwebs, and I cannot resist sharing insights that make me snort with laughter, or pause and think. I only share them to my “stories” where they disappear after about a day, back into the ether from whence they came.

One of the interesting trends I’ve noticed while doing this is how quickly vocabularies align, depending on which side of the aisle you’re on. I’ve started to be able to quickly discern original and intelligent thought from regurgitated pablum.

Understanding the intricate intertwining of history, political science, economics, and a whole bunch more social sciences that create the complicated landscape that is in front of us today is hard.

A is majoring in government. As he first glanced through the extensive course catalog, he was asked to consider what “track” he wanted to follow. Then, within that track, there were dozens upon dozens of courses available to take. A, being the giant government nerd that he is, had such a hard time narrowing things down, and is still changing his mind regularly about classes to add.

Currently, he’s taking a statistical analysis class, related to his government coursework. Analyzing and understanding data is critical when it comes to interpreting both past and present events. Although he was loathe to give up a content class to take this one, he recognized its foundational importance and how it will help him down the road.

I bring all of this up, because another thing the Internet, and people these days, like to do is throw around numbers like they mean something. A’s coursework has taught him to be wary of any percentage claimed anywhere. One of my favorite examples of this is a light that I bought to install in my basement. The label proclaimed that it was 400% brighter. It was sitting on the shelf next to one that claimed to be 800% brighter. I read the entire label on both boxes. Twice. Brighter than what? There was no answer. I mean, compared to utter darkness? Maybe. Compared to the sun? No way. Compared to the ancient, naked bare bulb that was currently hanging in the dank corner of my basement? Probably.

Recently, a statement was made by a local official that 60% of young adults, aged 19-29 years old, favor “socialism.” Of course it was presented in a fearmongering fashion, linking socialism to communism and claiming historical context, while completely ignoring what the current studies that have been done really show. It only took about three minutes to track down the studies and understand some of the nuance behind what those statistics mean. Why would you take the time to understand statistics when you can just spout buzzwords and try to start another Red Scare?

Various systems of government are intricately linked to different forms of economic systems, and together, they create an enormous spectrum of possible belief systems. It turns out that younger people seem to grasp the concept that we, as a society, might do better to take care of each other.

Why do young people feel this way? Well, they’ve lived through several financial crises and a global pandemic.

The lifestyles of their parents and grandparents, including stable employment and home ownership, seem out of reach.

Although they’re healthy now, they’ve likely already seen a friend or family member bankrupted by a medical emergency. It’s not hard to see why they might not like the direction things are heading.

Deliberately misunderstanding this crucial voting block’s voices isn’t going to end well for the powers that be.

While historically, outcomes for socialist and communist countries may not have been positive, current examples of social democracies, like many Scandinavian countries, are touted the world over for the high quality of life and happiness that their citizens enjoy.

Social media has created windows into worlds that were previously closed off to most people and heightened awareness of other societies’ successes, and failures. I recently spent the better part of a weekend with A and some of his college classmates.

They certainly think differently about the world than I do. We had some interesting arguments and discussions. But, the one thing that impressed me the most is how much they care about improving the world 100% for everyone who lives in it.

Liz Pinkey’s column appears on Saturdays in the Times News