Former GMM Student Yiwen Xia Published

A number of GMM alumni go on to publish and work in academia following their degrees, in some cases publishing work that they began developing on the programme.

We are excited to share that Yiwen Xia, who studied with us in 2019-2020, has published research begun during the modules Global Media 1: Ideas and Debates, and during the Final Project phase:

• Xia, Y. (2021) How do Beauty Influencers Establish Authenticity in Their Favor? – Two Case Studies of Beauty Influencer “Zoella” on YouTube and “Mofan Zhang” on Weibo. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS 2021).
• Xia, Y. (2021) Representation of Women on Media: ‘You are so Beautiful’ a Case Study. Insight – Information. 3 (3), 45–47.

Yiwen Xia is currently planning to undertake PhD research—we wish them every success in their future work!

GMM Student Project ‘Guarding the Love’ Featured at Festival of Arts and Humanities

Today marks the start of Southampton’s annual Festival of Arts and Humanities (formerly the ‘Human Worlds’ festival)! This year the festival includes a huge variety of online events and activities. The festival will run until Saturday, 20 November, when it will end with an in-person Hands-On Humanities Day at Avenue Campus.

The MA in Global Media Management is once again an active participant in the festivities. In particular we are proud to highlight Guarding the Love, an online transmedia story from the 2020-21 cohort of Global Media 2: Industries and Technologies. This project was developed in the course of the year by students Su Cong, Chen Zhao, Li Yunjia, Pan Zichun, Mai Yingying, and Chen Yiwen, and aims to teach Chinese language skills and cultural knowledge through storytelling.

Guarding the Love tells the story of Houyi, a hero from Chinese mythology. From the project website:

Once upon a time there were 10 golden birds in the sky.
They constantly radiated heat and light from the clouds’ end and the mortals on earth called them “the suns”.
The suns never went down, and eventually led to a horrifying drought across the entire land.
Crops died, rivers evaporated, the whole world was burning in inferno.
A hero named HOUYI showed up with his incomparable skill as an archer, he swore to shoot the suns down…

The story is told across four different media: writing, video, comics, and a board game.

Images from the Guarding the Love website.

Learn more on the story’s festival page here.

You can also access the story after the end of the festival on its website.

Insights into GMM with 2018-19 student Swarnika Porwal

Swarnika Porwal from the 2018-19 GMM cohort shared some of experiences into coming to the University of Southampton and studying on GMM.

Tell us a bit about your background before coming to the UK. Where are you from? Were you studying/working before starting your programme here?
I come from a small town called Mandsaur located in India.  I studied BA (Hons.) in Mass Communication from Devi Ahilya University in India. During my bachelor’s degree, I worked as the Senior Content Support Executive at one of the media organisations in my city for a year. I moved to the UK in September 2018 to pursue my dream of studying abroad.

What made you decide to study your chosen programme?
The course covers everything from internet to new media and social media, along with an understanding of the technological, cultural and political implications of the changes in the field of media; this course was the best suited for me to gain professional skills. This course fit perfectly with my career goals.

What attracted you to study at the University of Southampton? How did you hear about the university?
Selecting a university requires a lot of research. University of Southampton has great facilities and tutors for my course which is one of the most important aspects to consider when making a decision. Apart from that, our university ranks among the top 20 UK universities which says a lot. Another thing that attracted me was the fact that there is always someone available to help out the students when they’re struggling, either academically or emotionally or in some other manner. This shows that the university cares about the well-being of the students.

What are the best things about your course?
The different modules of GMM act as an aid to develop various skills. From creativity to research and professional skills, GMM has helped me progress on the road to achieving a successful career in the future.

What is your favourite module and why?
My favourite module has to be Critical Media Practice. It is one of the modules we studied in the first semester. It contributed to developing critical thinking ability, looking at all the aspects of a situation rather than the obvious aspect and answering ‘so what?’ for any statement by using the skill of critical thinking to analyse it.

What are the other people like on your course?
They’re all really nice and helping people. Despite the difference in our cultures and languages, we all get along really well. Some of them have experience of working in the media industry. There is continuous learning when you study with such a diverse group of peers.

What do you think of living and studying within the University’s broad multi-national community? Has it helped you see the future with a more global perspective?
Living with students from different countries helps you understand about their lifestyle and the general structure of rules and regulations in their home country. You learn about the media trends in other parts of the world which is important for a media student to now. This acts as a base for you to compare and see thing from a global viewpoint rather than national.

What advice do you have for prospective students back at home? Can they do it too?
I would suggest them to not rush making a decision about the course and university as it matters a lot. University of Southampton ranks among top 100 global universities and the tutors here put a lot of efforts in ensuring that the students are progressing. The university also offers several facilities to support and guide the students during difficult times. If you select the University of Southampton, you will not regret it; I didn’t.

Do you have anything else you would like to add?
I would like to say that coming to a new country all by yourself can be scary but it is an amazing experience.  You will meet people from different countries, learn about their cultures and develop friendships.  You’ll have several emotions at once but a few days after you are here, you will realize that it’s one of the best decisions you have ever made.

Beste Ozer Alumni Talk

On Wednesday 30th October we were delighted to welcome back 2014-15 graduate Beste Ozer as part of our “Creative Futures” afternoon. Beste gave a fascinating talk about her time on GMM and her career since graduating. She offered some tips and suggestions and took part in a discussion with students.

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Q&A with Han Phan (Alumni 2017-2018)

Here is the lasted alumni Q&A with Han Phan.

1.Why did you choose GMM at WSA/University of Southampton?
Long story short—having thought that I wanted to pursue photography after a year of doing Art & Design Foundation Diploma, I took on a challenge and applied for BA (Hons) Film Production. Simply because I wanted to learn as much as I could about the media industry. After completing my BA Degree, I realised that I didn’t want to just focus on film, when I’m also interested in photography, design and marketing. At that time, I didn’t know such a course as Global Media Management existed. When I discovered it, I just felt as though this was the course designed for me. I knew what direction I wanted to approach for my career path and this course was the course that got me there. 

2.What are you currently doing?

Before moving back to Vietnam, I was working as a Content Producer at a digital agency in Winchester, called Studio Republic. Studio Republic’s mission statement is ‘Creative for Good’, which means being passionate about creating great work for the better of our environment and community. Whilst working here, I was also assisting the Digital Strategist in organising a monthly event – Winchester Creatives.

I’m currently a Content Manager at Rice Creative, a strategic branding and design studio in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We create strategy, communication, and products for commercial and cultural clients. We believe that powerful and compelling design can transform brands, give shape to extraordinary stories and make positive impacts.

3. In what ways does your time on GMM and at WSA/University of Southampton help you with this?
Firstly, the research skills I’ve acquired from this course has helped me to discover and analyse current global media trends and practices. Secondly, by applying the theoretical knowledge into practice, I’ve been able to think, plan and execute with a critical and strategic approach in order to come up with a well-rounded solution for a creative problem. Furthermore, the group projects I took part of have supported me in improving my leadership, teamwork and communication skills. Last but not least, this course has also taught me how to utilise new media tools to best communicate different messages and engage with different identities around the world. 

I could write an essay on how this course has helped me with my current profession. One thing I really took away from this course is realising how I can use my creative skills and social media to communicate topics I deeply care about. I hope whatever your focus is on this course, you’ll be able to take away something too. 

4. Advice to current GMM students
Take it seriously. This does not mean you can’t have fun. This course is all about exploring and learning new perspectives. 

Help one another and be supportive, especially in group discussions or projects.

Identify your future career path and begin working towards it. This will help to shape the outcomes of your final project.

Travel when you can, as it’s the only way you can truly understand the people and culture in the UK.

Learn from your lecturers. Engage and participate in conversations with them. The lecturers and tutors at GMM were the best guidance I could ever ask for. They have made my time there so much more valuable.

Learn from your peers. Get to know different perspectives and go in with an open mind. 

 

Q&A with Rebecca Li (2016-17 alumni)

Here at GMM we’re always excited to hear what recent alumni have been up to. Most recently, we spoke to Rebecca Li.

1. Why did you choose GMM at WSA/University of Southampton?

I used to study Public Relations and Advertising in college, and I wanted to study further in this area. When I searched online, I was quite interested in the Research and Design module at GMM. In addition, University of Southampton is on the top 100 university Times ranking list, and I really like the location of it. It’s warmer and close to London.

To be honest, I am thinking about applying to another master’s degree or PhD to continue study in the future!

2. What are you currently doing?

I am a marketing specialist in a company in Beijing: Counton Global Mobility Solutions. This company is mainly for education consultant immigration advice and investment management. My duties include online media platform operation, like editing online articles, posting on social media, collecting or making videos and so on.

3. In what ways does your time on GMM and at WSA/University of Southampton help you with this?

GMM helped me gain knowledge about new media, and showed me how to engage with audiences on a public platform. I also gained some knowledge about data analysis and research methods, such as content analysis. It’s quite helpful for me in my current work. In addition, I’ve started to write my own blog online, which is about my travel experiences, makeup tutorials or randomly daily updates. If you have interest, please search online for the WeChat official account: 没谱频道.

4. Advice to current GMM students

Studying at the University of Southampton was a great experience in my life. I miss it there, and hope to visit soon. Thank you to all the teachers in GMM! Thank you for your efforts to give us many amazing lectuers. I hope you are all well.

Q&A with Yanan Mu (2015-16 alumni)

It’s great to hear what recent alumni have been up to. Most recently, Yanan Mu has been contact …

1. Why did you choose GMM at WSA/University of Southampton?

After I obtained a bachelor’s degree in management, I felt that management was too broad for me to get a job in the field that I was particularly interested in. I became increasingly interested in the media industry when studying in Manchester. Therefore, I decided to enrich myself by studying a media-related master’s course. When searching for relevant courses online, I found that the GMM programme at the University of Southampton was just what I was looking for. It is perfectly connected with my undergraduate studies. At the same time, it gives me a comprehensive understanding of the development of media.

2. What are you currently doing?

After graduated, I found a placement opportunity in an education company. I was mainly responsable for monitoring trending information through social media, using this information in our product to attract customers and get attention from potential customers. After the placement, I became the channel development manager of the company, provided leadership and guidance for new resellers and used social media platforms to develop the company’s business. After nearly two years’ work experience, I found myself stepping into a bottleneck period. I need to enrich myself if I want to create more possibilities for my life. Therefore, I decided to get a PhD in media and I’m currently working on my research proposal.

3. In what ways does your time on GMM and at WSA/University of Southampton help you with this?

My time at GMM and WSA definitely helped me significantly with what I experienced after graduated. Firstly, the valuable knowledge I gained from this course gave me acute knowledge of the world of digital media, which helped me to get a job easily. Secondly, the rigorous research and practice-based work experience enabled me to put theoretical concepts into practice, so that I did a great job during my placement period and got an unexpected promotion after that. Last but not least, my time at WSA/University of Southampton was the most unforgettable experience of my life. I made so many awesome friends who gave me so much love and support. Also, I met my Mr. Right here!

4. Advice to current GMM students

1) Always keep your feet on the ground, be serious about what you are learning, remember that it is your attitude not aptitude that determins your altitude.

2) Make your career plans as soon as possible. Try to do some interns or placements, grasp any chance to show your abilities.

3) You can either travel or read, but either your body or soul must be on the way.

Q&A with Zhang Xinyang (2016-17 alumni)

It’s great to hear what recent alumni have been up to. Most recently, Zhang Xinyang has been contact …

1. Why did you choose GMM at WSA/University of Southampton?

When I chose my offers last year, there was a school name that caught my eye. It was WSA, the University of Southampton. I graduated from the Communication University of China, Nanjing. In past years, I have met many alumni who have entered WSA for further study after graduation. Their advice was one of the reasons I chose WSA. In addition, I have learned that the University of Southampton is ranked very high in the world (eg. QS Ranking). In the end, I had consulted WSA’s previous graduates, and their high evaluations of the course and staff eventually left me with the offer of GMM.

2. What are you currently doing?

Recently I have been preparing all the necessary materials to apply for a PhD course at the best university in China. The knowledge I learned in WSA has benefited me a lot in the following days. My final project was appreciated by a famous professor of this university. This was really exciting! The guidance from the tutors of WSA is very important, I really appreciate them.

3. In what ways does your time on GMM and at WSA/University of Southampton help you with this?

The courses at GMM give us a lot of options, to give us the opportunity to explore the intellectual sector we like. Before I got into WSA, I wanted to be able to get a sense of the newest development in the new media. There is no doubt that GMM gave me this opportunity. My classmates and I have carried out in-depth research on the concept of crowdfunding and bullet screen video sites. We learned about globalization and participatory culture. Here you can choose your favorite topic for in-depth exploration and give full play to your talents.

In terms of life, the school’s supporting facilities and accommodation system are perfect. It creates good conditions for students’ comfortable life and study. The bus and train system can take you to every corner of Britain. Hartley and WSA libraries will satisfy your thirst for knowledge. Winchester is an ancient city with numerous exhibitions and art activities that will greatly enrich your life.

Not only that, the diversity and internationalization of the school has broadened my horizons and it has given me an international perspective. The tutors at WSA taught me not only knowledge, but also good character. It helped me shape a good personality, which will allow me to go further in the future.

4. Advice to current GMM students

When I came to WSA, my basic knowledge and English level were very bad. However, I finally got a distinction degree and got the chance to continue in a PhD course. So I hope you can trust yourself and do your best. Boys, be ambitious！

At the same time, if you encounter some problems in your initial life in WSA, I hope you can become stronger.

In the end, I ask you to cherish every second in the UK, which may be the best time of your lifetime. You might learn a lot, go to a lot of places, and you might meet someone you love.

I can’t go back,

Wish you well.

Q&A with Yang Hong (2015-16 alumni)

It’s great to hear what recent alumni have been up to. Most recently, Yang Hong has been contact …

1.Why did you choose GMM at WSA/University of Southampton?

WSA is part of the the University of Southampton, which has a good academic standing and educational resources. The strong art and humanities ambience attracted me a lot. In addition, Winchester is close to London which has lots of exhibitions, performances and other entertainments that could enrich my off-work hours.

I have majored in Advertising in undergraduate and want to extend and deepen my understanding of Media so I choose GMM.

2.What are your currently doing?

I’m a part-time editor in Nanjing University Press. I have edited many books like the Chinese version of A Companion to Art Theory and Gille Deleuze’s collected works, as well books related to the media. My study at WSA helped me knowledge in these areas so that I can edit them easily.

3. In what ways does your time on GMM and at WSA/University of Southampton help you with this?

GMM broadened my outlook. For example, I know deeply about concepts including ‘imperialism’ and ‘UGC’. Through GMM I gained not only an understanding of certain concepts, but developed approaches to thinking. Since graduating, this way of thinking has helped me find and understand matters in the world.

I also enjoyed the external links, for example meeting the director of Blueberry Soup and exploring the process of making films.  This is novel thing for me because I have always been interested in films but had never meet directors face-to-face. The experience excited me a lot.

In addition, the writing of my Final Project and the Research Skills module provided me with relevant academic experience so when I wrote my proposal for PhD application I was prepared.

As to the University, I often saw exhibitions in the gallery in WSA and a performance in Nuffield Theatre at Highfield campus. These facilities enriched my time and raised my art appreciation.

4. Advice to current GMM students

Enjoy the assignments.

Exploring what you real interested in.

Do more reading and travelling.

Q&A with Duo Yun (2014-15 alumni)

It’s great to hear what recent alumni have been up to. Most recently, Duo Yun has been contact …

1. Why did you choose GMM at WSA/University of Southampton?

   I got my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and wanted to pursue a communication & media management role in the future. I did some research of related programmes in the UK before I started my applications and found that the course structure of the GMM at WSA aroused my interest a lot.

2. What are you currently doing?

   I’m working with a marketing team at a consulting firm in London, which is really rewarding and helps me build a clearer career perspective in the future. I did enjoy the marketing work in London. Besides, I’ve got tremendous practical skills from the business operations.A particular achievement was leading the company’s social media accounts including Weibo, WeChat, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. I expanded THE company’s Weibo followers from around 18,000 to more than 50,000, and the WeChat followers from 1,400 to 5,000 through active involvement in online career events as well as marketing strategies in 6 months

3. In what ways does your time on GMM and at WSA/University of Southampton help you with this?

   As an international student, the studying experience at WSA helped me adapt myself into British cultural. I met some great local friends which improved my language level and helped me eliminate the language barrier to a large extent. It also helped me develop a critical thinking mind and be creative. Even when I work as a marketer, I always keep a keen eye on digital trends.

4. Advice to current GMM students

   Try to go out the comfort zone and be confident. If you are not a native speaker, you should make more effort to improve your English make more friends. Be brave and enjoy your study life in WSA. One day you will realise that all your endeavour is worthwhile.