Becoming accustomed to a new environment can be challenging. New environments can come with new expectations and new routines, but also new experiences and new learnings. My first-week experience at USC AYA has been exemplary of this process. While it hasn’t been easy, it has been rewarding. The concepts I’ve learned in Communications 101 in particular–communication, civic media, civic imagination, and more–have been fascinating, giving meaning to and further analyzing components of daily life in ways I had never considered.
Communication, the process which we use every day, every time we do as much as open our mouths, is more complex than meets the eye. As defined by Julia T. Wood, “Communication is a systemic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings”. These symbols can manifest in a variety of different ways, whether they be verbal or non-verbal. Wood defines the 5 core parts of communications as process, systems, symbols, and meanings. These core pillars give meaning and definition to aspects of daily life usually done without a second thought about the significance behind them.
Joan Didion once said in her 1979 essay, The White Album, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” This quote rings especially true in the context of civic media and civic imagination. According to Henry Jenkins, civic imagination is the “capacity to imagine alternatives to current social, political or economic institutions or problems. Put bluntly, one can not change the world unless you can imagine what a better world might look like.” Eric Gordon and Paul Mihailidis define civic media as, “the technologies, designs, and practices that produce and reproduce the sense of being in the world with others toward common good.” They go on to state that, “Civic media, then, are any mediated practice that enables a community to imagine themselves as being connected, not through achieving, but through striving for common good.” Stories, whether they are based on fiction or reality, are a key component of our culture. Narratives that are created influence our daily lives. In “Superpowers to the People! How Young Activists Are Tapping the Civic Imagination” the authors state that, “Superhero stories offer a shared vocabulary for talking about personal and cultural identity, differing conceptions of justice and the social good, the nature of power and responsibility. Many different groups, but especially those engaging with youth, have tapped into the superhero mythology as a means of empowering their members to think differently about their place in society.” Stories are what help drive change in our society. The lens through which we can view this impact of stories on the culture is through civic imagination and subsequently, civic media.
The concepts explored in just the first week alone at AYA have captivated me. However, it is not only the concepts learned in class, the lectures, or the readings alone that have made the experience one to learn a great deal from. I find the discussions in class that stem from the learnings to be among the most valuable parts of the class. To hear other perspectives, and to listen to new ideas or experiences from others is something valuable; beneficial to not only myself but to everyone else as well. This new environment fosters growth for all, and while it may be unfamiliar, it’s worthwhile.
Communicating Change 