Medium

This is a journal reflecting my first week at the USC Annenberg Youth Academy and my insights on this week’s lessons.

Medium—not the size between small and large— but rather the singular form of an invisible thing that we see everyday: media. Zines, movies, vox pops, and even this article are all examples of mediums. Media is something we engage with daily because it offers convenience, information, and freedom of expression. They allow for interpretation, influence, and perception, such factors combined to form the media we use every day, and the tremendous ways to engage with it will only be limited by one’s imagination.

A major component of media is communication. It happens within every conversation, every word typed on a document, and every symbol that humans encode and decode in order to make meaning. In the textbook “Communication Mosaics”, the idea of activism and clicktivism are also introduced. As communication and engaging with the media become as easy as a matter of clicking a few links, some, including myself, are beginning to feel concerned that this type of activism doesn’t make a real impact. I used to restrain myself with the title of a high school student, thinking I would not be able to change anything in our community. However after coming to AYA, I have started to realize that although not every post will blow up on the internet, the intent and the action of spreading the message matters. Every time we share a story, every time we repost a donation link, every time we use a hashtag, our message is being spread and an impact is being made. Like what Henry David Thoreau said, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” Impact starts from the moment we imagine, the moment we begin painting on that canvas, and the moment we share that canvas with those around us.

Here at USC Annenberg Youth Academy, we bravely take that step everyday. From Professor Rogelio Lopez, I have learned to think critically about the purpose of the media. From Professor Allan Lopez, I have learned how even being able to speak a second or third language can help me make connections and contributions. From KTLA anchor and reporter Megan Telles, I have learned to think big and do big. Impact is constructed through actions, and actions are how we turn thought into reality. By going to the California African American Museum, I saw firsthand how artists use their work to communicate and make an impact. I was especially struck to see a painting of a destroyed house resulting from the devastating fire that swept through L.A. communities earlier this year. As an L.A. resident who was also affected by the fire, it made me realize how art allows us to resonate empathetically and form connections between the artist and the viewer. In this case, the fire becomes a medium as well.

Through this past week, I have gained deeper insight into what the media is ultimately serving—this world that we’re all living in. From meaningful lectures to the casual conversations I have shared with Union Station workers, I will be sure to take these moments with me moving forward. As I conclude my own medium, I also conclude my first week at AYA to be thought-provoking and meaningful.