On a Friday night, after covering an event, I was asked if I could go through the photos I had taken, edit them, and send a batch of photos that same night. The request was made under the assumption that it wouldn’t take that long. Keep in mind, I had work at 4 a.m. the next day. Not even Superman can edit that quickly on such short notice. But anyone who works in media knows that editing isn’t always quick and smooth. Moments like this highlight the misconception that media work can be produced quickly. In reality, the students behind the work often spend time organizing a plan, following through with the plan, and eventually editing the final product before it is ready to be shared. Imagine doing all that work and not having it be appreciated.
As a Digital Media, Photography, and Design major, I am exposed to different types of media. I get to work with video, audio recording, animation, digital designs, photography, and even drawing (I know, it’s a long list). By taking these different classes, I have realized that every form of media requires time, patience, and technical skill. Yet I often hear comments like, “What are you even going to do with your degree?” or “That sounds like an easy major.” or even “Oh, so you don’t want to make any money?” At first, I was in the same boat; I wasn’t sure what to expect from studying media. Getting to explore the different creative fields has shown me how much effort goes into producing the content we see every day. It’s not as easy as one, two, three – action!
People just assume that since technology is advancing, it should be able to be a quick snap of the fingers, and everything is ready to go. It’s just frustrating to think that we put so much effort into a project and it doesn’t get the appreciation you thought it deserved. Media is literally all around us, even if you don’t open your eyes and realize it. Your favorite show, your graduation photos, the next commercial to get you to buy the next Apple product. While some content can be created quickly, the work that truly stands out usually requires much more time and effort than most people realize.
This leads into my next point. Let’s talk about the men. Everyone always wants to talk about men in this field. While not all these fields are solely male-dominated, the lack of representation of women is pathetic. For example, only 7% of cinematographers are women. You’re kidding, right? That’s crazy. And I think women are great. It is also believed that women are consistently stronger at multitasking in comparison to men (I’m not here to discuss if that’s true; the UK has several research papers on this point. I love the UK). Not to be biased, coming from a woman who works two jobs along with my studies, I do agree I’m great at multitasking and getting media work done. But if you’re a woman, it’s never recognized the same way as if you were a man. Even as a student, I have recognized the patriarchy within my field. When men talk over women or only talk to other men, it’s clear there’s an uneven playing field, even though we are just as educated. I have always wanted people to be successful in this field, but it seems like women get the short end of the stick.