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Innovation; computer and information gadgets; Mac; iPad

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Despite my respect for movement and silence, I’ve found that some stories need words. That realization led me to immerse myself in media studies. My relationship with “media” started on stage, as I became adept at marketing shows and designing posters.. But it expanded when I was asked to debate whether social media helped or hindered social justice. Since I’d used social media to preserve culture by filming a documentary on the Tanka fishing community and sharing interviews with the proprietor of Beijing’s vanishing Hutong food stalls, I found the assignment jarring. Could something I’d trusted to host uplifting stories also cause harm? That tension became fertile ground, which led me to the NYT Summer Academy. I became fascinated by investigative journalism and met advocates who used media to have a real-world impact. I had a chance to interview Carl King, a wrongful conviction activist, who described the prison system as “crimes against humanity.” His work spotlighted those left to rot in jail because they couldn't afford bail while their cases languished in judicial purgatory. It was often media coverage, he told me, that raised public awareness of their stories and the kinds of issues they faced. I wanted to do that kind of work. So, I joined the media team at Discourse, a platform that shares underrepresented stories. I remember scrolling through my phone when I found a post featuring an elderly Chinese weaver. Her culture was disappearing, but she was fighting back with the power of the platform. That post inspired me to become a media director, curating and sharing the brilliance of those who might otherwise be forgotten. But I also saw how virality often rewarded scandal over substance. A post I made on traditional folk weaving was buried under news about a body found near Taylor Swift’s mansion. Perhaps the social media skeptics had a point. So, I decided to join the Pioneer Research Program and study how media forms could build real community. My project analyzed racist backlash to casting in Disney films like The Little Mermaid and Snow White on Chinese platforms, noting that the complaints often carried an undertone of cultural anxiety and nostalgia. Next year, I want to study how media companies can tailor their campaigns to weather this kind of reactionary criticism while creating new communities that positively support these kinds of films.