Useful TedTalks and speakers for your media degree

I’m a big fan of TedTalks so when I saw them being used as part of our required reading and listening lists prior to attending classes I was quietly happy. This is a list of some of the videos that I have been watching so far that have helped me in my studies. I hope they help you too.

1) The Power of a Hashtag by Raama Mosley (TedTalk, 2016)
This TedTalk is presented by a lady who was being targeted for tweeting out a hashtag with the aim of helping to bring attention to the fact that over 200 school girls in another country had been kidnapped. I was required to listen to this video as a part of my Digital Media class in second year.

2) Me Too is a movement, not a moment by Tarana Burke (TedTalk, 2019)
This TedTalk discusses the emergence of the #MeToo movement as well as how it started. It’s a useful video to mention if you are writing an essay about social media or the impact of digital media. It would also be useful to discuss if you are writing about feminism or how social media platforms help to give people a collective voice.

3) The Attention Economy with James Williams (RSA, 2017)
I was encouraged to listen to this talk when I was writing an essay about social media microcelebrities. This video discusses how people on social media compete for the attention of an audience and how people try to succeed in achieving it.

4) Fake News. It’s Your Fault by Christina Nicholson (2018)
This video explores the idea of 'fake news', drama and self-control in the realm of social media and ordinary people. The term fake news has often been used in regards to celebrities but I like how this video talks about how everyday posts on Instagram can be liked and shared by normal users before they have even taken a moment to question its credibility.

5) Media Literacy – The Power (and Responsibility) Of Information by Lisa Cutter (2020)
This video discusses the power of information and misinformation transmitted via the media. It also discusses how some people are excluded from information access and how when people are left unaware of what is going on they are then an easier target for manipulation.

6) You’re being manipulated and don’t even know it by Nate Pressner (2019)
This video discusses the history of how people gathered their news and how in the past journalistic integrity was seen as more important than it is today. ‘Information fabrication’ is now everywhere presented as false facts and millennials obtain most of their information from sources which aren’t primarily news sources. What is the result of this?

Ciéra studies media at ARU in Cambridge. Find out more about this, and other degree courses, at one of our Open Days.