A journalism major in the Media, Self & Society scholars program.
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Contact me at sesguerr@terpmail.umd.edu
Gen Z Voter Media Challenge
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This assignment was interesting because of its relevance to the media. Voting in the 2020 election and information surrounding it was very important. I chose this assignment because I think it could have helped people in the voting process. It provides simple information on the voting process as well as resources on how to find accurate information regarding candidates.
Reflections on Coverage of BLM with Anika Reed
3 concepts
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The first concept I found interesting that I gathered from class this week is the role of minorities to represent themselves within journalism and media. Since media can be heavily white-washed, minorities have a duty to speak up for themselves and others who are underrepresented.
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This also plays into the second concept I learned from Anika Reed, which is to be able to write and present what you want. Media is a place for information, which can either be horrifying or comforting. Yes, we should be able to give the facts that may be hard to swallow, but we should also make room for what we desire to share with the world.
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The third aspect I found interesting is the framing of news and media. News should aim to be objective, so I find it interesting that some news organizations aim to frame or distort information. This can be seen through the word choice, such as “protesting,” “looting,” “rioting,” used to describe the Black Lives Matter movement.
2 AHA thoughts
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One “aha” thought I had while reading one of Anika Reed’s articles is that it is possible for someone to cover human interest stories as well as serious issues going on in society. Beforehand, I thought it was better for an individual to only write about one of them, but I now realize it is important to strike a balance between the two to keep readers engaged.
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The second “aha” I had while watching the video is the media’s play in the importance of Black Lives Matter to the public. It decides when and how people talk about it, often turning it into a “trend,” when really it’s a movement that should always be covered when it can be.
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1 question
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One big question I still have is, given the progress of minorities within the media, how can we make it possible for this growth to continue even more?
This assignment was after one of our first special guest visits in Media Scholars. Anika Reed is a journalist for USA Today and she talked to us about the coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement in media. One thing I gained from this assignment was a perspective on the overall diversity within media and journalism and the role that it plays. As a journalism student, having a journalist talk to us was a very enriching experience and it was important for me to reflect on it. As I progress through Media Scholars, I hope that I will be able to expand upon this reflection.
"Media, Self, and 2urviv4l" Photo Essay
November 2, 2020
The following photo showcases one of the most recurring themes for me this year: late nights.
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This was taken around 2:30 a.m., in my room at home, while I was taking notes for an anthropology class. I was so caught up that I forgot to eat dinner so I made myself a quick meal.
November 8, 2020
A friend and I decided to get rolled ice cream from 520 Ice Cream & Tea in Rockville together because we always wanted to try it. Of course, we were being safe, staying 6 feet apart and wearing our masks, but this outing was very much needed to gain some sense of normalcy and joy during a time of extreme stress and anxiety.
November 13, 2020
This is a photo I took while helping my cousin move out of their home in Potomac, MD.
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Having moved around a lot, it's never the easiest to move out of a home you've known for so long. This house was like a second home to me, so I wanted to capture the emptiness I felt within.
November 26, 2020
For Thanksgiving this year, my family and I visited my uncle, who lives by himself in Virginia, and ate outside. Although we couldn't get the rest of the family together due to the pandemic, our laughs, the food, and the nice weather were surely memorable.
November 13, 2020
I took thise photo in the middle of the night, while I was writing a research paper, hoping to encapsulate the foreboding and all-consuming nature of online schooling this fall.
December 6, 2020
This final photo was taken at my friend's house in Virginia. It had been so long since we had been all together, and we decided to make smores by a campfire outside. Sitting outside, basking in nature, and enjoying ourselves was truly one of the better moments of this tumultuous year.
"Media, Self, and 2urviv4l" Reflection
At the beginning of quarantine, I, like everybody else, had no idea what this year would have in store for us. Everything in our lives seemed to spiral more and more out of control as the year went on. At first, I was excited to live on campus for the fall semester, but I soon realized I had to stay home due to extenuating circumstances. Online schooling started off easy, but as the semester progressed, I became more and more overwhelmed, quickly losing my motivation to do anything. Everything was so mundane and it all felt like too much to handle. My life soon revolved around late night studying and the deteriorating status of my mental well-being. I even reached a point where I would forget to take care of myself, to eat and relax.
But then came a point in time where I met up with a friend for some quick ice cream. We didn’t spend too much time together, trying to stay safe from COVID-19, but it reminded me of what it was like to make time for myself and to try to enjoy all this time I have for me and only me. Quarantine then became a period of my life for self-reflection and relearning to be myself. Helping my cousins move out of their home was a big part of this, making me realize that although the pandemic seems so long, life is still moving forward and changing.
Then, things started lifting up. Thanksgiving came around and I spent time with my family and uncle in Virginia. Although everyone else could not come, it was a much needed time to spend with my family as I realized I had been cooped up in my room for the majority of the year. With just us, eating outside, enjoying ourselves and nature, the chaos of the outside world seemed to disappear.
This moment, however, was fleeting. I was soon catapulted back into schoolwork with a larger workload on my shoulders. Papers and late night studying, once again, became the epicenter of my time. School slowly began to feel overwhelming once again, and I craved for the days when it would all be over, much like we all do with the state of the world now. My photo essay hopes to encompass these feelings of negativity, while also balancing them with the unexpectedly good moments of this year.
Media Scholars taught me about the world of media and how it operates. From what we learned in class, I realized that we are all in this together. Now more than ever, the media has become important for connecting us all. With COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter movement, the presidential election, etc., we all used the media to share our thoughts and to get through issues together. Learning about the spread of misinformation and how to combat it was another important aspect that relieved my stress during my stay at home. Being able to verify whether or not information was true helped reduce my exaggerated thoughts on what was happening. Overall, Media Scholars played a role in my perspective of the state of the world and my life.
RESEARCH PROJECT
CLICK BELOW TO ACCESS MY MAGAZINE ARTICLE ANALYZING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF VIDEO GAME LIVE STREAMING
Image source: WIRED
CLICK THROUGH MY SLIDES PRESENTATION TO LEARN ABOUT DEEP FAKES AND THEIR RELATION TO DISINFORMATION IN MEDIA