Examining the Media Landscape: Recent Episodes
Jenna Rohlman
This podcast has 5 different guests: Professor Leone, Professor Paradise, Professor Shannon, Professor McGushin, and Stonehill Alumn and current GBH Producer, Emily Schario. Within each episode we explore a different media-related topic, starting with discussing what a communications major to how social media influences our personal lives and relationships.
By listening to these six episodes, I hope for you to better know about what it means to major in communications as well as more about different aspects of the media industry that we are constantly interacting with on a daily basis!
Jenna talks about her experience starting at Stonehill as a freshmen not knowing what she wanted to do in her life to now as a senior confident in her skills and proud of the media related experience she has gained not only through her academics but also through her internships and work experience. She shares her advice on those curious about the media industry and how majoring in communications opened up many opportunities for her to find where in the industry she felt most passionate about. As a final send off, Jenna reflects on what her time at Stonehill means to her and the growth she has gone through since her freshmen year.
In this episode, Emily shares about her experience being a producer at GBH and how her time at Stonehill helped prepare her for a career in the media industry. She highlights her new passion project of using TikTok and shares guidance on what makes someone a good communicator. Then, Emily and Jenna share their personal thoughts on how the media industry has evolved and Emily provides advice for students looking for employment opportunities in the media industry.
In this episode, Professor McGushin and Jenna examine what it means for many things today to be an "image of an image" and how the overproduction of images has resulted in the problem of too much media replacing reality. The creation of the Metaverse is analyzed in regards to how it might influence more people to stay inside online and not psychically connect with others. They then end off by discussing the movie Her and how this film foreshadows much of how technology will continue taking over our lives.
In this episode, Professor Shannon talks about the process of creating the digital media production minor at Stonehill and how she started her own business , Thompson films. She highlights how she has created short films to increase LGBTQ+ representation and why she chooses to use humor as a method in her films. Then, Professor Shannon and Jenna examine the show, Euphoria, and the controversy surrounding its portrayal of graphic topics in a cinematic light. Specifically, they question if Euphoria is glorifying drug addiction and analyze the choice to make this show display uncomfortable content in order to convey a certain message. Furthermore, Professor Shannon and Jenna discuss the character, Jules, and how her authentic representation of a trans character in the show is an important step in the media industry.
In this episode, Professor Paradise defines what social media is, explains the advantages and disadvantages of it, and explores the rise in popularity of TikTok and Snapchat. Parasocial relationships stemming from social media and beyond are examined in the context of the pandemic and the concept of "doom scrolling" is explained further. As younger people begin to rely on social media more, Professor Paradise and Jenna discuss the harmful implications it has on mental health, body image, and more. However, the episode ends on a positive note where Professor Paradise shares her guidance on how to unplug from social media and stay present in real life.
In the first episode, Professor Leone goes over what it means to major in communications, eventually highlighting additional minors or extracurriculars a student can take on in addition to this major. Jenna speaks briefly on her experience as a communications major and what she has been been able to do on campus to compliment what she has learned from this area of study. Before the episode comes to a close, Professor Leone talks about his background in film and how he views film as the way humans are able to connect with others.