Implications of media studies
COMMUNICATIONS is a fundamental backbone of the 21st century. Social, economic and political trends are shaped by communication practices that connect every fraction of this globalised world.
Victor Thong Weng Hong, a School of Arts and Social Sciences alumnus at Monash University Malaysia, shares his journey:
“I’ve always had a thirst for solving problems and meeting people. Fascinated by the media’s effect and influence on audiences’ thought processes and actions, I was eager to understand how this takes place.
“This, alongside a dream to pursue a career in advertising or public relations, naturally led me to enrol in the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies at Monash Malaysia.
“Adopting a more theoretical approach to addressing contemporary issues and discourses, the course has 24 units ranging from communication studies to creative writing. It consolidates theory and practice in its syllabus.
“Major units such as Authorship and Writing help students develop their creative, writing and critical thinking skills, enhancing their existing aptitudes.
“During my course of study, I realised that when we study communications, the subject of study is often, as you might have guessed, people. We study people, write about people, interview people and meet people to retrieve their interpretations and perspectives of how things subjectively make sense.
“Through studying people and communications, we also explore the various ways in which the media attempts to ‘inject’ values and ideas – the most obvious being advertising – into the minds of the targeted audience or how commercialised ideals directly affect people’s behaviours.
“In my second year, to supplement my classroom experience, I landed an internship in a global PR firm (Hill+Knowlton Strategies) to see if what I learnt could be applied to real-time corporate scenarios and conundrums. Instinctively, things made a lot more sense and the theories learnt reinforced my understanding of what I saw.
“During my three-month stint, I saw how communications concepts learnt in the Freedom and Control in Media unit focused on communication policy and helped me understand why certain issues arise, and their solutions.
“One example is censorship in Malaysia. While drafting our press releases, I was reminded by my supervisor to take into consideration my choice of words and tone so as not to induce any negative sentiments or convey racial innuendos. Messages are often censored or reworked to avoid conflicts.
“It is highly important that we are mindful and considerate in the messages we intend to disseminate, especially on a national or global scale. My education in communication definitely guided me in addressing practical, real-world problems.
“Upon graduation, I pursued a career in content marketing and digital advertising, starting as an account executive. This role requires one to be organised and possess creative and critical thinking, clear communication skills, strong research/ analytical skills, people management skills and a flair for writing.
“The communication degree equipped me with these necessary skills through its tight deadlines, team projects, proposals and research assignments. The curriculum prepared us to undertake various challenges and obstacles in our workplace.
“My former varsity peers, now in different job sectors, are doing exceptionally well and are, to me, some of the most creative and versatile individuals in the job market. Most of us have found employment in related industries such as corporate communications, journalism, diplomacy and foreign affairs, broadcasting as well as production.
“The consensus is that social media has become an integral tool for marketing, branding and corporate identity. Business organisations widely utilise social media to increase their customer reach and engagement and to gather market intelligence.
“All in all, the course taught me to always strive to improve and learn, and to always question, challenge and engage in ideas, integrating what I’ve been taught with my future work experiences. Ancora Imparo, Monash.” For more information on the courses available at the School of Arts and Social Sciences, visit www.sass.monash.edu.my