The Medium/The Message: Recent Episodes
The Medium
An attempt to understand society and student life through stories. Podcast by The Medium, the independent student newspaper at the University of Toronto Mississauga since 1974.
In the final episode of this season of The Medium/The Message, Liz and Aia reflect on four years of undergrad, their time with The Medium, and all the memories they’ve made along the way. As they both go on to new adventures post grad, Liz and Aia share their most memorable moments, and most remarkable lesson, while also giving some advice to current students.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
In honour of the latest Medium Magazine, titled "In With The New" (available at www.themedium.ca/magazine), Liz and Juliana chat with Professor Kate Maddalena of University of Toronto Mississauga’s ICCIT department, who teaches writing classes on speculative non-fiction, about what it means to write about the future.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
As we enter the final weeks of Winter semester, Aidan and Juliana are thinking about what comes next. Be it the work world, grad school, or six months of existential dread, they don't feel ready to make decisions about anything, and are hoping that talking to you about their dilemmas for 45 minutes will help them come to some sort of (temporary) conclusion.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
In this Valentine's Day themed episode, Liz, Aia, River, and Georgiy answer 14 spicy questions from our listeners. Should you believe him if he says she's just a friend? How do you break the touch barrier? What are some turn ons we don't talk about? Find out everything you need to know about love in this episode. Make sure you let us know your thoughts and don't forget to...
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
River and Juliana are kind of stressed—which is why they've used this episode of the podcast as a way to share their stress relief tactics with each other. Join us to talk about music, stress baking, house plants, and more!
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
In this episode, Liz and Aia welcome Z and Mahi onto the podcast. The conversation begins with a friendly discussion on New Year's resolutions and ends with a heated debate comparing UTM to UTSG. Tune in to see who wins! In between you'll find Z's favourite restaurant, where you can find Drake's butt-cheeks, and tips to slay 2023. Let us know your thoughts!
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
In this final episode of the year, Liz, Aia, River, and CFRE Tech Director Georgiy discuss military service, Aia’s weird dream that had her end up in Amsterdam, and why we should ban Filas. Tune into the episode for all the hot takes.
The Medium/The Message wishes you all Happy Holidays! See you next year!
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
The news has been saturated with Elon Musk's shenanigans. In this episode, Juliana, Aidan, and River discuss the Twitter tea, their preferred social media platform, outrageous baby names, and their favourite video games. And, as an extra treat, tune into the end of the episode for The Medium's World Cup predictions.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
It’s autumn, the season for nostalgia—which is why Liz, Aia, Juliana, and special guest Dr. Kate Maddalena, professor at University of Toronto Mississauga’s Institute of Communication, Culture, and Information Technology, are reminiscing about lego, vinyl, and family, among other things. Join us in talking about our kinds of homesickness, and in thinking forward to futures with robot journalists and more!
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
Happy spooky season! Liz, Aidan, and Omar share their top three conspiracy theories (as well as some hilarious honourable mentions) in an exciting round-table. Tune in to hear more on how trees are bushes while mountains are stumps, why birds aren’t real, and if the moon landing was a hoax! What’s your favourite conspiracy theory?
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
"There are times, moments, and people that deserve your openness" and this is one of those moments. Liz and Aia are joined by The Medium's Copy Editors Aidan and Juliana as they discuss burnout, art, English literature, and how to manage stress. Although talking about burnout can be tough, our co-hosts and guests spare no words in this episode of The Medium/The Message.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
Co-hosts Liz and Aia enter the boxing match with fists of fury. In this episode, guest stars, The Boys (L&A’s close guy friends), face our girlboss co-hosts in a showdown. Here’s the inside scoop on the male perspective.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
Nothing says arts lover quite like attending mosh pits, bingeing your favourite trashy Netflix shows, and screaming for help front row at a concert. From summer concerts and current faves to erotica writers hacking The Medium, our host and guests spill all on this episode of “The Medium/The Message”.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
Not as in “Behind The Scenes”, as in “Back To School” silly! Leave it to Liz and Aia to get you all excited for another year of heavy workloads and sleepless nights on this season’s opening episode of The Medium/The Message.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Podcast edited by Kareem Al Sawalmeh
For the final episode of Season 2 of The Medium/The Message Podcast, the contributors of the ‘In Touch’ magazine discuss moments when they felt most connected to themselves and their loved ones.
Pick up a copy of the ‘In Touch’ Magazine on stands across the University of Toronto Mississauga, or read the articles online at www.themedium.ca/magazine/. Season 3 will launch this September 2022. Stay tuned!
Connect W/ The Medium
Visit our website
Join our discord
Follow us on Instagram
In this episode, Liz shares how her career aspirations have changed over time, and how watching Grey’s Anatomy and a conversation with a friend helped her reconsider medical school. Elisa catches up with last year’s Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, Paula Cho and Ali Taha. Paula is studying journalism at Columbia University in New York City, and Ali recently founded Archetype: A Literary Journal. They chat about random jobs they’ve picked up, capturing stories through videos and words, and upcoming projects.
CONNECT W/ Archetype: A Literary Journal
Website: https://archetypemag.com/
Instagram: @archetypeliterary
Twitter: @a_journal
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work as a section editor, photos editor, or even as the Editor-in-Chief of The Medium?
In this episode, Elisa Nguyen (Managing Editor) interviews the volume 48 elected editors on how they got involved with The Medium, whats unique about their role, challenges they’ve faced, and advice they have for aspiring student journalists.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our discord
Follow us on Instagram
“I could write about racism and make it look beautiful. But it’s about you questioning yourself and asking if you’re actually part of the people promoting racism. You want to fight it, you want to go against it. You want to question yourself. That’s what I do with my poetry.”
Newly appointed poet laureate of Mississauga, Ayomide Bayowa, has written poetry ever since he was a young student in Nigeria. He currently studies theatre and drama at UTM. Stream of Tongues (Watercourse of Voices) is his first poetry book and was published in 2018. He also wrote the award-winning short film Do I Need To Remind You? in 2019 and directed short films Thus Said Zara(2020) and Home; Nowhere(2019). His short film “By The Way” will be released on February 28, 2022 at his Youtube channel. In this episode, Ayomide shares advice for young poets, discusses his relationship with Black History Month, and reads an excerpt of his poem “Adlib.”
You can connect with Ayomide on Instagram at @_officialayomi
Read Ayomide's latest interview with The Medium: https://themedium.ca/ayomide-bayowa-mississaugas-poet-laureate-leaves-his-legacy-through-verse/
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our discord
Follow us on Instagram
In this week’s episode, current and former Arts and Entertainment editors join Liz and Elisa for a roundtable discussion about recent movie, book, podcast, YouTube, and T.V. show favourites. Join us for some cool recommendations, fun banter, and laughter with friends!
Guests
- Liz Provost - Editor-in-Chief
- Elisa Nguyễn - Managing Editor
- Danica Teng - Arts & Entertainment Editor, Volume 48
- Aidan Thompson - Associate Arts & Entertainment Editor, Volume 48
- Chris Berberian - Arts & Entertainment Editor, Volume 47
- Paige France - Associate Arts & Entertainment Editor, Volume 47
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
How do you measure success? Is it by the amount of money you have in your bank account? The number of friends and family that support you? Perhaps it’s the weight of all your accomplished goals?
We all have different definitions of success, but what we often omit is how we’re able to handle our emotions. This is what psychologists like to call “emotional intelligence.”
In this episode, University of Toronto Mississauga ICCIT professor Tracey Bowen sits down with The Medium’s Features Editor, Ricardo Jaroslav Valdes, to discuss how emotional intelligence can help us achieve great things in our personal and professional lives.
Special thanks to Lou-Anne Carsault, Nik Towsey, Rene Post, Sam Huson, and Stephen Chupil for sharing how they measure success.
Learn more about emotional intelligence
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
In the final episode of 2021, Liz and Elisa have a conversation with University of Toronto Mississauga ICCIT Assistant Professor Dan Guadagnolo on the nuances of consumer culture, PR, and marketing. We explore how consumer culture has changed since the 1960s, the relationship of race, class and gender to consumer capitalism, and the impact of targeted ads. We also share three retail worker's experiences, their advice on being better shoppers this Holiday Season, and the surprising phenomenon of the "Christmas Creep."
ABOUT PROFESSOR GUADAGNOLO
Professor Dan Guadagnolo is a historian of twentieth century U.S. business and culture. His research examines the contemporary and historical political economy of marketing, PR, branding, and management strategy since the 1960s. He teaches at UTM at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Follow us on Instagram
Join our Discord
Happy New Year to all our listeners. Thank you for your continuous support. We wish you all the best in 2022 and can't wait to share more episodes with you!
- The Medium team
Co-hosts Liz and Elisa welcome returning guest and fan favourite, Chris, and not-so-shy newcomer, Peter, to answer all your burning questions on love, friendships, relationships, and life in general. Tune in for some laughs, insights, laid back conversations, and of course, hot takes.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
Have you ever felt ‘meh’? Like you can’t get out of bed because, what’s the point? Perhaps you keep thinking about the future and it’s so foggy that it demotivates you.
Dear friend, what you’re experiencing is something you may have never heard of before: languishing. To put it simply, feeling languished is feeling hopeless and stagnant. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to get rid of that feeling.
In this episode, undergraduate student Louis Lam tells Ricardo Jaroslav Valdes, the Features Editor at The Medium, his story with languishment as he approaches the end of his university journey. Louis shares what he did to feel better and gives advice to other students who may be in the same spot as he was.
Special thanks to Jordan Johnson and Shazreh Salam for sharing their thoughts on languishing.
MORE READS
Read Adam Grant’s New York Times article
Learn more about languishing
Explore the languishing study on first year students
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
When you think of the word 'isolation', what do you see?
In this episode, The Medium's editorial team discusses their contribution in the 'Moving Still' Magazine—a collection of creative non-fiction, essays, research, poetry, and photos. Topics discussed include social media, grief, mental health, health care, childhood memories, businesses, and change. Each team member appears in the same order as reflected in our magazine, which can be found across stands on campus, or online at https://themedium.ca/moving-still/. "We hope this magazine will inspire you to see isolation as it is: not necessarily good, not necessarily bad, but simply a state we all experience in life."
ORDER OF APPEARANCE
[2:10] Manjot Pabla, Director of Design
[6:05] Aroni Sarkar, Opinion Editor
[9:56] Juliana Stacey, Copy Editor
[16:28] Danica Teng, Arts & Entertainment Editor
[20:50] Elisa Nguyen, Managing Editor
[25:10] May Alsaigh, News Editor
[29:38] Hayden Mak, Head of Photography
[32:58] Duaa Nasir, Sports & Health Editor
[36:10] Miguel DaSilva, Copy Editor
[42:05] Belicia Chevolleau, Social Media & Online Editor
[48:10] Ricardo Jaroslav Valdes, Features Editor
[51:28] Elizabeth Provost, Editor-in-Chief
[55:48] Nikolas Towsey, Head of Videography
*Video by Nikolas Towsey will be released Friday, November 5th at www.themedium.ca
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our discord
Follow us on Instagram
The media is a "big amorphous blob" that is both intimidating and captivating. Power and politics plays a critical role in the evolution of news media and the kind of news we get access to. As an independent student newspaper, The Medium is also a part of this system. Unintentional, nuanced, and complex dynamics of politics play into our decision-making processes, just like it does for big media.
Join us for a conversation with Aroni Sarkar, The Medium's Opinion Editor, Aya Yafaoui, the Ear to the Ground Columnist and previous Opinion Editor, and George Wootten, political science professor at UTM, about what makes something newsworthy.
ABOUT GEORGE WOOTTEN
Professor Wootten is a political science lecturer and has been a sessional lecturer at UTM for about 15 years. His academic interests revolve around political communication with an emphasis on blame and blame avoidance. In his free time, he listens to heavy metal music and likes to cook. Wootten advises that when roasting a turkey, before you cut into it, make sure to let it rest for as long as you cook it. Otherwise, the turkey will be dry, and not very appetizing.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our discord
Follow us on Instagram
There are so many questions students face throughout their time in undergrad—from academic success, to romantic relationships.
Should I find time to relax if that sacrifices the quality of my work? I’m looking for love but why is it so hard to meet people in online classes? Is it bad that I keep experiencing burnout and I don’t know if I can continue with school for much longer?
Sometimes we need advice, other times we just need someone to relate to. Join us for a conversation with The Medium’s Features Editor Ricardo Jaroslav Valdes (Jaros), who shares his experience switching majors, meeting his girlfriend Lou, and how he stays productive and happy despite many stresses.
We also welcome guest speaker Jennifer Stellar, a UTM psychology professor whose research focuses on positive emotions such as love, gratitude, awe, and compassion. She shares her journey toward becoming a psychology professor and lessons she has learned along the way.
ABOUT JENNIFER STELLAR
"Jennifer Stellar is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and the director of the Health, Emotions, and Altruism Lab (HEAL). She received her PhD in Social-Personality Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania."
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our discord
Follow us on Instagram
“You don’t necessarily have to do anything once you acknowledge your privilege," writes Roxanne Gay in Bad Feminist. What does it mean to acknowledge our privilege? What will happen once we do? Those are the questions we asked Professor Stephen Scharper in an interview. Acknowledging our privilege may be the first step in becoming both self-aware and understanding of the lived experiences of others.
ABOUT PROFESSOR SCHARPER
Dr. Stephen Bede Scharper is a professor, author, editor, columnist, and public scholar with a special focus on social justice, sustainability, and the environment.
Currently Director of the Integrated Sustainability Initiative at Trinity College, he is also associate professor at the School of the Environment and the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto, as well as the Department of Anthropology (UTM). He also serves as adjunct professor at the Toronto School of Theology and is a Senior Fellow at Massey College.
Dr. Scharper’s research and teaching are in the areas of environmental ethics, worldviews and ecology, religion and ecology, liberation theology, sustainability ethics, as well as nature and the city. His book, For Earth's Sake: Toward a Compassionate Ecology (Novalis), explores the notion of how we are being called to develop a loving relationship with the natural world in light of contemporary ecological challenges.
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Follow us on Instagram
Join our Discord
Social media platforms began with simple intentions to connect communities and give people a place to express their interests, but one look at the apps today, saturated in algorithms and advertisements, raises suspicions about whether their intentions remain the same. In today's episode, we reconnect with Jordyn Foster who reveals the ins and outs of algorithms, influencers, and social media diets. Belicia Chevolleau, The Medium's social media and online editor, also makes an appearance and shares a funny online experience. At the end of the episode, Liz and Elisa reflect on their own social media habits and how they portray themselves online.
ABOUT JORDYN FOSTER
Jordyn Foster is a Ph.D. student at the University of Toronto St. George. His research focuses on the intersection of culture, consumption, media, class politics, and inequality. He also explored how taken-for-granted trends and social media platforms comment on and reproduce existing inequalities in the consumer landscape. His dissertation is titled “The Rich Kids of Instagram: Symbolic Wealth and Social Visibility in the Digital Era." As an influencer himself, Jordyn holds over 65k TikTok followers. His account focuses on positive affirmations.
Check out Jordyn's interview us from Volume 47: https://archive.themedium.ca/features/the-promises-and-perils-of-social-media/
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our discord
Follow us on Instagram
It's been a while, but we're back, baby! Welcome to Season 2 of The Medium/The Message with your hosts Elizabeth (Liz) Provost and Elisa Nguyen. For our first episode, Liz and Elisa explore the McLuhan phrase, "The Medium is the Message," with the help of special guest Beth Coleman, ICCIT professor and author of "Hello, Avatar," and reflect on the ways print media can influence our community. You'll also hear about the history of The Medium, and what's new this upcoming year.
ABOUT BETH COLEMAN
"Dr. Coleman researches experimental digital media, specializes in race theory, game culture and literary studies. She is currently working on two books and has previously published Hello, Avatar, a critically acclaimed book examining the many modes of online identity and how users live on the continuum between virtual and the real. She has also curated numerous art exhibits and media installations within North America and in Europe. Her current research investigates aspects of human narrative and digital data in the engagement of global cities, including aspects of locative media/mobile media and smart cities."
CONNECT WITH THE MEDIUM
Visit our website
Join our Discord
Follow us on Instagram
For our final episode of the academic year, The Medium sets out to explore the ins-and-outs of UTM student politics - UTMSU, UTMAC, CFS - here's your official run-down of the latest campus scandals.
To round out this A&E trilogy, Liz chats with some icons from The Medium about artists that grind their gears, what we’re watching, and the Greatest Movie of All Time bracket... you’ll be surprised what wins.
Episode takeover: Ali & Friends chat about what it means to be young, the process of growing up, and how people can cultivate “youth” in their daily lives.
Liz sits down for a chit chat about body image, what IWD means to her, and answers some very deep questions!
Liz, Chris & Paige, argue about the latest in movies, books, music, and more. Tune in to hear about the celebrities we've met!
Liz, Ali & (guy) friends discuss gender roles, relationships, societal expectations, and misconceptions. What is it really like to be a man? Here's the tea!
Liz, special guest Bhav & (gal) friends discuss gendered roles, relationships, gender bias, and sliding into DMs. Tune in for all the secrets!
Back by popular demand, Liz & Friends discuss growing up in the Middle East, western misconceptions, and their thoughts on the incoming U.S. administration.
Liz & Sarah talk UofT athletics and favourite sports. We also introduce a new segment called Student Spotlight and our first special guest.
Liz, Sarah-May and Richelle commemorate and highlight Martin Luther King Jr. and his work, and how we have yet to realize his dream with the BLM movement.
Liz gives a hot take on New Year's Resolutions, shares some of her own 2021 intentions, and discusses her dumb-blonde moments.
Liz and (The Medium) gang chat (&argue) about the hottest in A&E, from movies and books to music and celebrity crushes.
Liz and friends discuss the results of the 2020 US election and speculate on the future of America after this historic election.
The boys take over the podcast and answer some questions. www.movember.com to donate, participate and educate.
Liz and friends talk about sustainability on the UTM campus and climate change. Is it too late to save our planet?
Liz and friends get into politics, middle eastern conflicts, and stories from back home.
Liz talks to two international students about their journeys, adversities and life stories.
Liz and friends discuss gender roles, twitter shenanigans and answer listeners' questions about their relationships and hardships. Lots of secrets ;)!
Liz chats with UTM's Black Student's Association about the Black Lives Matter Movement, how to be an ally, and much more.
Liz and The Medium friends sit down and spill the tea on the UTMSU and UTMAC. Juicy juicy!
Liz sits down with some more friends to talk about mental health and how to make friends in the time of COVID.
On the very first episode of The Medium/The Message, Liz and friends introduce The Medium, plug the UTM campus, and talk about what it's like to be university students!