Media, Power and Culture

My Media

Communication, Education and Career

I learned that the role of the media has roots further back than history books have ever recorded. It has had positive and negative effects on societies throughout history and on individuals. Humans have been surrounded by its influences; whether in front of an ancient cave wall or in a twenty-first century classroom, storytelling has shaped lives. The media's stories inspire members of society, inspire change, brings hidden issues to light and monitors politics. As a young, but still maturing consumer and hopefully producer of positive media, I am now attempting to learn and harness the tools of the trade. My ambitious pursuit of this knowledge has lead me to the University of Kent State's College of Communication and Information as a freshman Applied Communication major. During our first tentative weeks of classes, many professors and students asked me: " Why did you choose Communication?" I will not only explain my reason for picking communication, but also explain why the study of media is so critical to my education and career pursuits after college.

Self-help and Self- Discovery

During my gap year, I spent close to 50 plus hours a week on my feet in a warehouse. I was working four days a week as a floor picker, but at home I constantly had my nose in a library book. I missed learning, so I took to reading books with a renewed vigor that was all but absent during high school years. One of the many books I fell in love was a self-help book titled: The Vixen Manuel. I had just turned nineteen, was in the process of recovering from a bad relationship, and was feeling a little insecure about myself. For such a young person, I felt like I was experiencing a mid-life crisis. This book was so interesting to me; parts of it inspired me, confused me and made me question my fundamental feminist thoughts. Though I didn't agree with every paragraph, there was enough quality that I began to take notes as I read and decided to Google search the author, Karrine Steffans, the notorious video vixen also known as "Super-head". I was shocked to see that this woman, who seemed to be chalk-full of advice,wisdom and success has been known for preforming oral sex on the raising stars of the hip-hop industry. She has written several books, had a great career and is continually attempting to be the best version of herself she could be. My research also showed me the various perspectives of her on social media sites and blogs. Many women were either disgusted or intrigued by Steffans views of sex, keeping emasculate home, building your self-esteem and dating multiple men at the same time. The men seemed to agree with Steffans' logic more often than not when she described her psychological mind games when it came to getting nights out and respect in relationships. Those forums were the soil in which my interest in analyzing social media grew and flourished. I wasn't inspired by her past, sexual prowess or beauty; but by her amazing ability to create a personal brand through multiple avenues.

The term "personal branding" means, that a person establishes a consciously crafted and public professional presence and status in his or her field and the world at large. I was hooked with the concept of personal branding. I could harness the skills and experiences I was currently gaining from college to create my own brand. What is branding without a unique series of stories? We use stories to sculpt an identity and image with, attempting to market ourselves to those around us. In Mass Media Revolution, the author examines the concept of media and explains that storytelling is truly the origin of all media. Whether it's oral, written or visual, personal branding embodies several of those narrative elements. Media inspires members of society, inspires large scale changes across nations, pulls well hidden issues into the light and monitors politics. Brands also promote a specific ideology, and I am interested in exploring branding ideology in its personal and executive form. My dream is to run a company from behind the scenes, manipulating and orchestrating big deals between corporate giants with my powerful knowledge of persuasion,