Where it all started! Day 1 at UMD!

Cite and discuss an example of how you have employed critical analysis of any type of media production and content during the last three semesters -whether in the news, entertainment, or social media. Indicate how (or whether) your Media experience prepared you to engage in this type of critical thinking about media. This can either be something you casually observed and discussed with a friend or classmate, or a more formal analysis for a class or as an exercise of civic engagement (i.e., fact-checking news, etc.)

       During the summer of 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement was everywhere. It was being discussed on both social media and news media. Thanks to the analysis skills I learned in Scholars, I was able to think critically about the information presented to me. I realized that a lot of the content displayed on cable news didn't have accurate portrayals of the situation. The protests were often sensationalized, and the riots were over exaggerated in a way that was harmful to the cause.

        On top of that, people weren't doing their due diligence on social media. People wanted to help but weren't fact-checking what they were posting. Often, people would just reshare what their friends had shared, which became problematic when there was misinformation. For example, there was a post that was being reshared about justice for the family of Breonna Taylor that didn't have the link to the proper GoFund Me, and as a result, her family didn't end up receiving those donations.

Cite an example of a misunderstanding of the role of media in our lives - whether news, entertainment, or social media  - that you have encountered during the last three semesters (in or outside the university). Indicate how (or whether) your Media experience enabled you to identify and understand it.

       A critical misunderstanding of the role of media in our lives is how people view their social media presence. People don't realize that what they promote matters whether they have a huge audience or not. We're subconsciously influenced by the things that our family and friends expose us to, which can have both positive and negative consequences. During the pandemic, the spread of false information on social media could cost people their lives. Many people don't realize just how important it is to be a conscientious and careful participant on social media. My media experience helped me realize that whether I have 20 million followers or 200, it's important to fact check before sharing because undoing fake news is a lot harder than spreading it.

What does being a critical consumer and producer of media (as opposed to being a passive consumer) mean to you? Do you see yourself in this role? Why/why not?

       To me, being a critical consumer of media is being aware that all media has messaging. Media is inherently persuasive, and a critical consumer can identify how their thinking is being manipulated. A critical consumer can also take into account other factors that may affect the content and messaging of the media, such as media ownership. On the other hand,  critical producer of media is aware of the impact that media has and does their best not to promote stereotypes or false information. While I am not a perfect media consumer, I think I've become a more critical consumer because I now find myself asking questions such as: 

• "How is this story being framed?"
• "How are semiotics impacting how I perceive this issue?"
• "Does the media have a reason to promote one voice and hinder another?".

Discuss whether being in Scholars brought you into contact with people or concepts that challenged your previous beliefs or opinions. (These could be about academic issues or other personal convictions.) Remember: a challenge isn't necessarily a contradiction! Consider a "challenge" as any situation that caused you to examine or reflect on a belief or opinion that you already had.

            For liberal-minded people, college can often be an echo chamber. In Scholars, there have been plenty of people who agree with my pre-conceived notions, and there are also people who haven't. I remember having a small group discussion with a classmate about filling Ruth Bader Ginsberg's seat on the supreme court. This was a moment when, even though I didn't agree with him politically; I began to understand his logic. My opinion didn't change, but I got a look into someone else's thought process, and I could understand why people disagreed with me. I think the beautiful thing about education is that hearing other people's opinions forces you to reflect on your own. Sometimes it ends up strengthening what you already believe, and other times it weakens your beliefs.

Discuss how or whether your learning was improved by interacting (in or out of class) with fellow Media Scholars. Please use particular examples of how being in this living-learning community actually aided in learning or failed to do so.

            I enjoyed my time living in Cumberland Hall. Seeing a familiar face in a classroom is always comforting, and I felt lucky to have people down the hall from me that I could rely on for help with assignments and other issues. Creating our final project for CPMS 100 was easy because we all lived close by and could easily work on it together. Obviously, our time in the residence hall was cut short due to Coronavirus, and now that I am living at home, I realize just how much I valued living in our living-learning community.

Door decorating contests on the 6th floor of Cumberland 

Scholars encourages active contribution by students, either in academic settings (e.g., colloquium discussions and projects; field trip activities; etc.) or as part of the larger Scholars community. Do you think you have had opportunities to contribute to the Media Program? If so, please cite an example.  If not, what change might have made this easier?

            One of the things I enjoyed most about the Media Scholars program was the field trips. I enjoyed getting out of the classroom and seeing concepts presented in different mediums. The discussions we had after field trips were always really interesting. Many of us felt very moved by the African American history museum and the Holocaust memorial museum, and it was a nice thing to experience together as a community. Sometimes I find it hard to speak up, but the nature of the Colloquim made discussions always feel natural. I think there were plenty of opportunities to contribute, and I probably should've taken advantage of more of them.

Media Scholars trip to the Newseum