Hello everyone,

I am a PhD researcher at Universiti Malaya, conducting an ethics-approved study titled "Online Political Information and Social Media Use Among Young Adults."

This study examines how young people encounter, engage with, and interpret various forms of political content and media influencers on social media platforms. It also explores how algorithmic recommendations and online messaging influence exposure to different political viewpoints.

Who Can Participate?

Age: 18–25 years old.

Residency: Currently residing in the United States, and have lived in the U.S. for at least one year.

Citizenship: U.S. citizenship is not required. All nationalities and statuses are welcome as long as you meet the age and residency criteria.

Ideology: Open to all perspectives. You do not need to support or oppose any specific political party or ideology to take part.

What Does Participation Involve?

Completing an online questionnaire about your social media habits, interaction with media influencers, and views on online political content.

The survey takes approximately 7-10 minutes to complete.

Privacy & Voluntariness

Participation is 100% voluntary. You can skip optional questions or withdraw at any point before submitting without penalty.

There is no compensation or payment for participating.

Your responses are completely confidential. A full informed consent statement will be provided on the first page of the survey.

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/6h96TD39HBVaLXkH9 

Thank you so much for your time and for helping advance academic research!

To all my communication majors or ANYONE, what were some of your favorite theories to learn about ?

Looking to improve my copywriting and become incredibly persuasive to improve in my business been studying into Cultivation Theory and Social Identity theory so far looking for more !!

Looking for advice regarding self promotion during the mid-term.

Is it something we should look at? Because we built a solution in the gov sector that hosts over 8M entries in public spending leading to an in-depth analysis of what changes since the last election?

Does contacting news channel or other network does anything? Are they gone to use the data and never refer to our company? Does anyone have experience with this?

I 25(F) have a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from a South Asian country. I have 2 years of agency experience as a Creative Producer & Copywriter in my home country.

Almost a year ago, I moved to the US. It took me a year to settle in, get my driver's license, set up housing, and get a temporary blue-collar job in manufacturing.

Now, I am prepping for Grad School applications for next fall. But I am desperate for a full-time job in the communications field. I miss working in the creative field and feel like I am missing out on the best years of my career.

In a country, with no network and backup, how do I approach job hunting? I have been applying for roles like Creative Associate, Social Media Coordinator & so on but have gotten almost no responses. As much as I loved socialising back home, here I feel dread about networking and reaching out to people because 1. I do not have a US degree; 2. I do not have experience with US companies.

Also, the process of transitioning has me burned out and am slowly losing my confidence. I am a really passionate individual but I feel stuck & demotivated.

Do I just wait until I start Grad School? Or keep applying until I get lucky enough that someone believes in me enough to give my first job?

I come from a Hindi-medium background. Although I've been working in corporate for a few years now, I still struggle with English communication, especially during meetings, discussions, and when I have to express my thoughts spontaneously.

I can understand English and manage basic conversations, but when it comes to speaking confidently, explaining something professionally, or putting my point across, I often get stuck. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to say but can't find the right words.

Lately, I've started feeling that this is holding me back professionally. I want to move into senior roles, but I feel my communication skills and lack of confidence might become a bigger obstacle than my technical skills.

I'm thinking of investing in a good English communication and personality development course, preferably something that focuses on practical speaking, corporate communication and confidence rather than just grammar.

Would love some recommendations for courses, online/offline classes or anything that actually worked for you. I don't mind spending money if it's genuinely worth it.

I just don't want to keep feeling left behind because I can't express myself as well as others.

PS - AI assisted post.

I'm transferring from a community college and majoring in Communication Studies. Since I want to work in the healthcare field, I was thinking about pursuing a Bachelor's in Health Communication with a minor in Public Health. However, Cal State LA (CSULA) is the only university in my area that offers a major specifically in Health Communication.
Would it be better to attend CSULA for that specific major, or go to a more reputable school like Cal State Long Beach (CSLB) or Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) and earn a B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Public Health? What are your thoughts?

I have a bachelor’s degree in media studies and currently work in communications for a nonprofit. I enjoy the work to some extent and feel I’m a decent employee who gets things done, but I sometimes question how well I actually understand the field. I can help with email campaigns, write content, share social media posts, and handle other communications tasks. However, I still feel inexperienced when it comes to developing bigger-picture strategy from scratch and understanding what makes our work successful. It should be clicking in my head more than it currently is. If I wanted to change to another organization and eventually move into more senior positions, I’m not sure what strengths I’d bring beyond what I do now. I want to build a stronger foundation in communications strategy and understand what makes someone truly good at this work. I’ve considered pursuing a master’s degree to learn the core theories and skills behind communications that maybe I didn’t learn in my first degree, but I’m unsure if this is the right step for someone in my position or if there are better ways/professional development opportunities to get a grasp on this. How do I develop these strategic skills and confidence?

Hey everyone,

I’ve spent my career so far specializing in nonprofit web and digital communications. I’m exploring a pivot into a broader Nonprofit Communications Manager role to expand my professional options, and I want to figure out how to best position myself. Digital skills are obviously a massive asset, but I don't want to get pigeonholed as "just the website/digital person."

To any Communications Directors or hiring managers here: What are the top 2 or 3 attributes or skills you look for when hiring a communications manager?

If you saw an applicant with a heavy web and digital background, what would they need to show on their resume or say in an interview to prove they can handle the broader strategic piece (like donor comms, campaign planning or cross-department strategy)? What gaps do you usually see in people trying to make this jump? Thanks in advance for any insights or reality checks!

Hi,

I’m considering pivoting from academia into consulting after my dissertation defense and would appreciate your expert insights.

I worked for some time before returning to academia so I’m not new to the corporate (although in a different market). Serendipitously, I ended up pursuing a research agenda that complements both my professional and lived experience in cross-cultural communication (keeping it vague so I don’t dox myself). After much consideration, an independent consulting would work best for me.

The results from my preliminary research indicates that it’s a good space to enter especially considering how workplace communication is beginning to include AI-mediated communication. But, I understand the difference between reading data online and reality hence this post.

Could you help?

1. Does the reality align with positive claims these for-profit market intelligence organizations assert?

2. If A is true, how do I make inroads when I have no community here? Community here being non-academics — expat here. We don’t really do expat communities in academia hence my lone wolf persona.

3. Anything you could share to set me on the right path.l?

Apologies if there are typos.Migraines are killing me and I’m looking at things through squinted eyes.

Public sector posts often get written for sign-off rather than for the person scrolling past. Here are five common patterns and a rewrite for each.

1. The closure notice

Before: "Residents are advised that the household waste recycling centre will be closed for essential maintenance works."

After: "Our recycling centre on [road] is closed on Monday for repairs. It reopens on Tuesday at 9am."

2. The service update

Before: "Service users experiencing difficulties accessing appointments should utilise the online portal."

After: "Struggling to get an appointment? You can book online, day or night: [link]"

3. The consultation close

Before: "Following a period of engagement, the consultation has now concluded."

After: "Thank you to the [number] people who told us what they think about the new bus routes. Here's what we heard and what happens next."

4. The weather warning

Before: "Due to adverse weather conditions, gritting operations are ongoing across the network."

After: "We're gritting main roads tonight. Side roads may still be icy, so take care if you're heading out early."

5. The vague commitment

Before: "The council is committed to reducing antisocial behaviour in the area."

After: "We've added two extra patrols in the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights, starting this weekend."

What they have in common:

• Lead with what changes for the reader
• Name the specific place, date or time
• Swap passive voice for "we"
• Replace promises with actions

What's the worst bit of public sector jargon you've had to rewrite? We've put together a longer guide on this and can share it in the comments if it's useful.

A cool comms strategy framework - I thought could be useful to anyone interested in communications as a profession. More explanation here.

Hi i’m just looking for advice here. A couple networking events are coming up and i’m super excited, but i also don’t really know what to talk to profs about? Im sure they hear the usual dental/medical shpeal a lot so does anyone have any advice? I’m super nervous lol, and don’t know what to expect at all

I've noticed something interesting about professional communities, particularly on Reddit and LinkedIn.

I've occasionally reached out to professionals in my field with genuine questions about their experience and industry practices.

I wasn't asking for a job, money, a recommendation letter, or a formal consultation. I was simply hoping to hear a practical perspective from someone familiar with the industry.

Yet even when people initially seemed friendly or accepted a connection request, the conversation often went nowhere.

I'm genuinely curious why this happens.

After all, if we choose to participate in professional communities, isn't sharing experience and occasionally helping fellow professionals part of the reason we're here?

Of course, I understand that nobody is obligated to respond to every message.

But I'd really like to understand what makes people hesitate.

Is it message overload, concerns about hidden intentions, lack of interest, or something else?

For those who receive these kinds of messages: what makes you decide whether to respond or ignore them?

And for those who have tried reaching out to other professionals: what has your experience been?

I'm interested in hearing both sides, including what I might be doing wrong in my own approach.

Hi everyone! It’s my first time ever posting on here but I’d really like some insightful advice on my career.

I’m a recent marketing graduate with some experience in social media (did an internship and freelanced) and a PR internship. I’ve also got a lot of events experience. This is my portfolio https://chitrarani.com/ (any feedback on it is also appreciated)

I’d ideally like to pursue a career in PR or Brand management but I feel like I don’t know the first thing when it comes to either. For PR I’ve got more of an idea having worked in the industry for 6 months but I’d still love to know more about the both of these.

Do I do any courses to go further in my career? What’s the best way to learn in either of these fields?

I’m straying a bit but another thing that interests me is creative direction, how do I get into that space? P.S, I live in Dubai so is it better to connect with people? It’d be great to connect if you’re in the industry!

Sorry if I’ve rambled, but any help would be greatly appreciated :))

I know I am definitely not the only person going through it right now, but I really just wanted to post this to vent about the job market. I feel like i’m gonna have to give up soon and get behind a register soon, if i can even land a retail job again atp.
Weeks of cold calls, aggressive applying, too many resume revamps, interviews, recruiters just everything.

Regretting choosing comms as my major. Regretting going to college at all.

Feeling like a failure.

How do yall stay positive in this market? any tips i haven’t heard appreciated

or just vent about your troubles.

Where your fear is, is your task ( Carl Jung)

Hi everyone, I’m a school secretary. I have 32 college credits so far and it is time to declare a major. Would you recommend public relations or communications for someone who would like an administrative job at a school district or other corporate settings? Ex. Human Resources, etc

For context, I'm participating in a competition and I really need a unique perspective on these topics

1) The Right to be Forgotten ( The Internet never forgives: why we need a "Delete Button" for real life)

2) The Myth of a straight A future

I'm leaning towards 1) but I'm not sure cuz honestly both speeches are really predictable.

Just in case there are other comms professionals hunting for a job - there’s a Substack where people post new ones along with a summary to save you from scanning them all yourself: https://open.substack.com/pub/commsjobscanada

Where will the AI wave begin in journalism and PR?

AI is changing not only content creation, but also information gathering, analysis, and workflow automation. I'm curious about which tasks in journalism and public relations could benefit most from AI.

As a business and industry journalist, I've been thinking about how AI could help automate repetitive tasks and give professionals more time for meaningful work.

For example, from a journalist's perspective:

1. Collecting news coverage from multiple media outlets and organizing it by key topics

2. Identifying significant changes in company disclosures, stock prices, and financial data

3. Extracting relevant information from large volumes of documents and organizing it with source references

4. Automating preliminary work involved in drafting articles based on research materials

Of course, not every task can or should be automated. Accuracy, reliability, and human judgment are essential. Ideally, AI should help journalists spend less time on repetitive work and more time on reporting, analysis, and critical thinking.

For those working in journalism, PR, or media: What tasks would you most like to automate or improve with AI?

I'm particularly interested in repetitive tasks that take up a lot of time, or problems that existing tools haven't solved well.

I'd love to hear about your experiences and ideas. Thanks!