REFLECTION ON SCHOLARS EXPERIENCE

Media, Self, and Society. Each word is so distinct, yet so intertwined in such a way where even after three semesters of studying, I have only begun to understand. As a matter of fact, these four words encapsulated my academic Scholars experience. Upon entering my Scholars career, I had not strongly considered the impact that media has on myself or society at large. Led by two great professors, my Media, Self, and Society courses at the University of Maryland explored the inextricable links that media has to our daily lives and how to further understand and benefit from these links. Only now am I beginning to understand media’s immense role as a shaper, mirror, and portrayer of the society around it.
One of the most enjoyable assignments I have completed over the past three semesters was analyzing the denotative and connotative meaning of various corporate advertisements. By understanding the difference between connotative and denotative meanings learned in class, I was able to further understand the purpose of each advertisement and why each advertisement creator constructed their advertisement in a particular way. It provided great insight and provoked me to use this same analysis technique when analyzing everyday media such as commercials and billboards. One instance of a harmful media product that I have encountered is advertisements created by Juul. Due to the underlying targeting of these advertisements, I would consider them harmful to society. These advertisements often feature young adults, vibrant colors, and an overall modern appeal. This practice is dangerous due to the attention these features bring to vulnerable teenagers and is at least partially responsible for the overwhelming Juul use among teenagers.
My Scholars academic experience has also sparked my transition from a passive media consumer to an active media consumer. In becoming an active media consumer, I have been looking to, as partially discussed before, analyze the purpose of many aspects of the media I encounter as well as question the methods used to reach a target audience. Doing this has caused me to further foster an analytical mindset that applies to numerous aspects of my daily life. Being in the Scholars community has challenged some of my previously held beliefs. One of the most crucial concepts discussed in my Media, Self, and Society courses was the importance of acknowledging biases within all media and diversifying where you receive your news coverage. I completely agreed with this sentiment however, there was one crucial problem: I was not doing it myself. Using the techniques taught in class, I found that the few sources I received my information from were very similar and not unbiased. Since then, I have strived to get my news coverage from a variety of differing and trustworthy sources to hopefully understand pivotal issues from numerous diverse point-of-views.
Being in a living-learning community has been one of the best privileges of being in the Scholars community. On the daunting first day living at school, being able to have so many like-minded peers around me, living only feet away, was comforting and very exciting. I got to form some great friendships with my hallmates that I will be forever thankful for. One of the courses I took as a freshman was a Scholars only course. Because of this, one of my friends and I were able to easily collaborate for assignments due to our proximity to one another*. In my Scholars journey, I was able to participate in many exciting experiences with my fellow Scholars. Some of the field trips, service projects, and on-campus engagement activities I experienced were amazing experiences I will remember as some of the best times I had in my college experience. A few recommendations I have for the future of the Scholars program is for more intra-Scholars activities and more collaboration with former and future Media, Self, and Society scholars. Having an activity that would allow the sophomore Scholars to give tips to incoming freshman Scholars would have been an activity I would have loved to participate in.
Being a Scholar has equipped me with some skills that will positively translate into my future. Being a Scholar has helped me improve my interpersonal skills. Knowing that I would have a community that I would be with for two years encouraged me to form new relationships and meet new people in our community. Another skill my Scholars courses equipped me with is the improved ability to spot false news. False or misleading news coverage has become a growing problem in our society. Being able to use the tips provided, such as always checking for sources and overtly biased language, has helped me minimize my intake of false news. Overall, I am very grateful for my time as a Media, Self, and Society Scholar and wish to use this experience to improve upon myself, media production, and society at large.