Fall 2020 Reflections

Black Lives Matter discussion reflection

This week we learned about news coverage of the many Black Lives Matter demonstrations that happened over the summer. We also had guest speaker in class: USA Today deputy editor and former Media Scholar Anika Reed.

I am featuring this assignment because I found the topic quite interesting. Most people read the news and take the information provided as is, but this activity allowed me to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Sometimes we have to think about why things happen, and remember that things happen before, during, and after the media has covered it.

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September 20, 2020

I think that the overemphasis on the actions in protests and lack of emphasis on the actual message and demands that Danielle Kilgo mentioned in the video is an interesting concept. I have definitely felt this to be the case in my personal interactions. Along the same vein, I also thought it was interesting that the poll in the video showed that many people believed that the feelings of the protests were justified, but most people did not think the actions were justified. It makes me wonder whether the movement would have gained the traction or coverage that it did, had the violence not broken out, and I believe that it would not. Protests, a large majority of them peaceful, continued after the initial surge of activism immediately after George Floyd's death, but the surge itself has not kept quite the same momentum. This leads into the last interesting concept. Kilgo mentions that a lot of media tends to follow the same patterns overall. What and how information is presented is so impactful on the public's attention, and the way the media flows in a similar way is certainly a big part of people's ability to move from topic to topic so fast.

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One "aha" thought was regarding what Kilgo said in the video about how the protesters' demands were reduced to just George Floyd's murder. In reality, his death was a peephole into an issue that runs so deeply in the country. It makes me realize that some people who are more reluctant to support Black Lives Matter or see it as an overall productive movement may not see past the surface of what the situation is. This does not justify ignorance, but this reminds me to understand different points of view.

Another "aha" moment was when Anika Reed discussed her experiences both in and coming out of college. She definitely did her fair share of hard work and dedication, but I felt comforted because I felt a sense of her struggles and uncertainty. Even though I am not necessarily pursuing journalism, it makes me feel better to know that not everyone has a completely set in stone path they have in front of them.

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One question I have is how can we move forward when the violence of the BLM movement has given it the image that it has now to many people? Is it possible to recover from that fully?

Gen Z voter activity

After we read about the demographics and impact of young voters and the use of TikTok in activism, we reflected on what makes Gen Z voters so important for the 2020 presidential election and what it would take to get young people out to the polls.

I included this assignment because I feel that this topic will have a lot of relevance no matter what going forward. Politics will always be polarizing, and young people will always be different than their parents. This activity also allowed me to experiment in a medium that I consume a lot, but never participated in.

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October 4, 2020

Gen Z voters, at the very basic and current situation, are the youngest voters. We ultimately have to live through more of the future, and the changes that happen now can be significant in the long run (ex. climate change). But there's more; Gen Z is also more diverse, more educated, and more open minded than older generations. The United States is supposed to be the great "melting pot," but even today there is so much adversity facing minorities. While minority Americans may be better off here than elsewhere, it can still be a truly frightening place in its own ways. Not only that, issues like climate change need to be addressed as soon as possible in order to have effective consequences. Voting is important for all Americans, but the youth will have to eventually pick up the pieces if things go stale now, so it is vital that young citizens are going to the polls. This concerns us the most in a lot of ways.

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The low voter turnout in the United States is quite grim to think about with the significance of the upcoming election. Other countries have measures to ensure a higher turnout, such as fines for failing to do so. I think that ultimately more serious strategies like these are something that would be more beneficial in the long run, but obviously there is not time for larger scaled considerations at the moment. TikTok is a good example of bringing mature concepts to an accessible platform. There is a plethora of educational content there, from snails, to Native American culture, to politics. That being said, TikTok is a very personal experience, and I have no doubt that many of the users are not engaging with promotions for voting because they are not that interested initially. The algorithm is quite sophisticated and will know what you like and dislike, so I do not think it is the end all be all. From my perspective, I see a lot of activism on other social media platforms that are focused more on personal relationships rather than famous content creators or viral videos. I think this kind of activism makes more sense as it is coming from trusted friends/family and there is room for more thorough information. That being said, this also relies on conscious clicking and reading.

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We also had to create a piece of publishable media that encouraged voting or informed about the election. I created a short Webtoon, which can be viewed here.

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November 11, 2020

As I reflect back on this Gen Z voter assignment, I am reminded of this video that I really like (turn on YouTube captions for English subtitles). It highlights the biggest news in the memory of Koreans young and old. Even though Korea does not have the same history as the United States, it really showed me how vastly different everyone's experiences are with age. A first-time Gen Z voter has a vastly different perspective than their grandmother in the next voting booth.

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