Principles of Media Intro

Nicholas Mullins
Sep 4, 2018 · 2 min read

Hello! My name is Nicholas Mullins and I am a Sophomore Communication major from Savannah, Georgia. No, I do not have an accent, but I do say “y’all” and have a perpetual craving for really good fried chicken. Which I miss. A lot. It was never much of a question for me when it came to what Major I would pursue in college. Ever since I was a little kid I loved telling stories. Finding new and creative ways to communicate to people through audio and visual forms of storytelling is a passion of mine. This interest encompasses both the practical production by which we communicate, as well as the theory and research that goes into the study of why/how we communicate.

When I think of general “mainstream media” in 2018, it is characterized as a giant sink hole of negativity. Whether it be news, movies, or social media, it seems to not be an advancement of knowledge but a soul sucking and aggravating tangled web void of fair context or truly transparent intent. Pessimistic, I know. But it is truly how I feel. I regularly take breaks (specifically social media) due to the vapidity that encapsulates the current state of media. However, this is not anything new. Because of this, I do not want it to seem as though I am simply bemoaning what “those darn social medias” have done to our society. Media in general has been broken since the scandals of Nixon. So, if I posses with such a negative view of media, why do I still hold such fascination in it? Because I think that while mainstream media has a long journey of getting far worse before it starts to get better, there is much hope to be had in micro medias. Small stories and small media outlets can have a big impact on those that will listen to them. Hopefully, these smaller media sources will overtake and replace the Mainstream Media as the societal influencers. I mean, I can dream right?