CODE^SHIFT’s SOURCE Researchers Examine How Media Shapes Society
- Dr. Srivi Ramasubramanian
- Mar 25
- 5 min read
By Manaswini Pillai, Magazine, News and Digital Journalism Graduate | March 25, 2025
CODE^SHIFT’s undergraduate research students, mentored by Dr. Srividya “Srivi” Ramasubramanian, engaged in critical media literacy research in partnership with Syracuse University’s Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagements (SOURCE) Explore program. The students then showcased their work at the SOURCE Explore Research Posters event at the Schine Student Center on February 28th, diving into the intersection of media, technology, and society.
The poster presentation sessions, running from 2 to 4 PM, covered diverse aspects of critical media literacy, like media representation, gender bias in journalism, and misinformation.
Kate Hanson, Director of SOURCE, emphasized that SOURCE Explore is designed to give 1st and 2nd year SU students a hands-on research experience. “Through this year’s cohorts, students analyzed media through a social justice lens, learned PCR and other lab DNA techniques, created designs for 3-D printing, applied computer science theories to the campus shuttle network, studied food-related data through GIS maps, and created zines inspired by primary sources in library archives,” she said. “The student participants engaged in research activity by learning about research questions and methods specific to the discipline, and most importantly, getting to apply this knowledge through their mini-projects.”
Gowri DeMay explored how mobile phone addiction influences media literacy education. Her experiment design constituted a presentation on Critical Media Literacy Theory to two groups of people whose phones were kept aside for that duration, followed by a qualitative questionnaire about their thoughts, impressions, and feelings during the same. “What I found is that the bigger issue is attention span. People are stuck in that 15-second dopamine loop,” said DeMay. “So I think moving forward, it would be really interesting to do a neurological study to see how this is working at the brain level.”
Hannah Beam’s project tackled gender bias in sports media. She researched various articles from several sports media outlets, and examined the subjects female athletes – from an Australian tennis player to a Korean volleyball player to a Hungarian swimmer – were interviewed about as compared to their male counterparts. “What I found was that female athletes are often asked about their looks and personal lives, instead of their actual athletic abilities and their athletic performances. And the media frequently credits male figures in female athletes’ lives for their accomplishments,” said Beam. “I was an athlete most of my high school career. I was pretty good at basketball, so I’ve been interviewed a couple times. And I was asked some crazy questions where I was like ‘Are you kidding me? This is what you wanna know about?’ So that was what really inspired me to take on this topic.”
Shannon Burth, who worked with CODE^SHIFT’s SOURCE cohort, found it inspiring to watch undergraduate students gain research experience for the first time. “I also appreciated that the students came from all around campus, as it brought a lot of diversity to the conversations,” she said. “Likewise, it was cool to see students step outside their comfort zone and learn about a new area of study.”
Spencer Howard, Thamia Romani, and Maimouna Toure shifted the focus to policy, discussing how TikTok affected governmental processes in the United States. The methods they used were qualitative literature review, as well as a textual analysis of individual TikToks and Tiktok comments. Howard focused on how TikTok influenced the latest U.S. government elections. “With Tiktok and social media, politicians have been able to form these parasocial relationships with their audiences, and also social media influencers have been able to do that, which leads to audience members having a higher perceived quality of that information that's coming directly from influencers and from politicians,” he said. Meanwhile, Romani worked on the dissemination of misinformation and how fake news flooded TikTok. “A lot of voters were definitely influenced, especially with the upcoming election,” she said. “Specifically for young adults, people who are just now legally able to vote and in their 20s, it's really important for them to get the right information, especially when it comes to elections or certain, actual decisions that the government needs to make.” Toure researched how social media affected the judicial system – specifically, the sexualization of defendants as well as how social media has deterred the ability to find impartial jury members. “The Sixth Amendment states that we have the right to a fair and free trial, but with social media, especially Tiktok, there is less of that, and now everybody has access to details of the case, and that can sway their opinion,” she said.
Irene Ghosh and Samayee Gupte examined how different film genres reinforce or challenge Western hegemonic ideals. Their research underscored how dominant narratives persist in shaping global media consumption, and how visual storytelling could be a powerful tool to disrupt stereotypes. “Through these analyses, you can see that film can be a big device to challenge expectations and norms that are set by dominant groups in society,” said Gupte. “It can work as a figure for change, and if you actually focus on nuanced in-depth storytelling, you can actually bring a lot of empathy and understanding into the world.”
Hanson also reiterated the importance of faculty mentorship in encouraging young minds to pursue research. “This year, the Explore program grew from two cohorts to six, thanks to facilitator interest and partnership with SU’s LSAMP program,” she said. “It was especially inspiring to work with the talented faculty, librarians, and graduate students who designed the programs and mentored Explore students as facilitators. They all created strong bonds among the Explore students, and inspired them to continue engaging in research.”
Helena Sauriat and Arianna Santana’s study focused on the rapid spread of misinformation among teenagers through social media platforms. They analyzed how one can be radicalized on the internet, especially towards more extreme conservative views, and how algorithms prioritize engagement over accuracy, creating an environment where false narratives flourish. “Figures like Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, and Ben Shapiro kind of disregard the struggles of the marginalized, and they prey on younger men,” said Sauriat. “They [young men] feel like it's kind of pulled them in, and then they kind of fall down, and it's hard to get out of this.”
Yasmina Gall’s work focused on genre biases in the music industry, and the implications of “black artists oftentimes being pigeonholed ‘black’ or ‘urban’ or ‘hip/hop’ categories”. She discussed how industry classifications and app algorithms often reinforce racial and cultural stereotypes, affecting artist visibility and career opportunities. “I am minoring in music, and with the research I did, I think it’s just so interesting, so cool to get more diverse voices out there in the music industry,” said Gall.
Burth praised the cohort for their presentations, saying “For the poster session itself, the cohort was incredibly articulate and knowledgeable about their respective research projects. You could tell they had truly become passionate about the areas of research. After hearing them share their projects, I can’t wait to see where they take these newly acquired skills.”
Hanson expressed her desire to continue supporting students in their research pursuits. “I hope that students get a chance to try something new, focus on a fascinating research topic or question, and start to build their research skills,” she said. “Then, if they are inspired to continue with research, SOURCE will support them in next steps.”
The SOURCE Explore event and CODE^SHIFT’s undergraduate researchers highlighted the urgency of critical media literacy in today’s digital landscape. With their emphasis on the power of storytelling, representation, and media consumption habits, they succeeded in contributing to research behind a better understanding of how media not only informs but also shapes society in profound ways.
Listen to Dr. Srivi talk about CODE^SHIFT’s participation in SOURCE Explore here.
Listen to Yasmina Gall about her project and experiences working with CODE^SHIFT and SOURCE Explore here.
Follow CODE^SHIFT on social media:
Instagram - @nhcodeshift
LinkedIn - CODE^SHIFT
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