Gnovis Journal Spring 2021

Sometimes I think back to spring 2019, when I learned that I had been accepted into Georgetown University’s Communication, Culture & Technology MA program. After working from home for over two years, I couldn’t wait to get back in the classroom. I was looking forward to studying at Joseph Mark Lauinger Memorial Library. After having the pleasure of meeting several CCT students at the spring open house, I was looking forward to getting to know my future classmates over coffee. I imagined myself walking through campus during fall, as the leaves start to change. Mostly, I was excited to finally get out of my house and have the opportunity to not wear leggings every day. 

While the past year and-a-month-or-so was certainly not what I expected, I am immensely grateful for the Georgetown Community; for the perseverance of students who had to stay up well past midnight to attend classes; for the faculty and staff who worked so hard to provide some semblance of community for us all; and for the effort everyone at CCT put into the pursuit of cura personalis. 

The GNOVIS team, a group smaller than the previous year by six members, banded together to make sure we successfully executed our 2020 priorities. We designed a brand new website that aligned the GNOVIS brand with the Georgetown University aesthetic. The second season of About Me explored the 2020 Election, how dating apps have helped people find love during the pandemic, and the future of work (from home). We have expanded our multimedia presence and streamlined the blog submission process. We also successfully hosted events and led workshops, from an election 2020 debrief to a screening of The Social Network. 

And of course, we have produced this journal. We are so excited to publish the works of Abigail Major, Grant Lattanzi, Fan Wang, Michael Wilson, and Ya Zhang, and want to thank each of them for their hard work and patience during this process. Our Spring 2021 Journal covers a wide range of topics, from media criticism of Netflix’s Big Mouth, to public perception of the impeachment of Donald Trump. Each author has contributed exciting new research to their respective fields, and to the world of communication, culture and technology. 

I would like to thank the GNOVIS staff for their hard work and dedication this year. Thank you to Andreas Beissel for their creativity and drive; from creating visually-engaging graphics for our blogs to crafting the layout for this very journal to producing your own video, your passion for visual media and your dedication was an invaluable resource for the team. To Anna Hoffman, thank you for your work as Managing Editor; your operational guidance, keen eye for detail, and hard work kept us all on track. To Eish Sumra, thank you for all the work you put into designing and executing a new website for the fellowship and for always being a shining light during our team meetings. To Rohan Somji, our first-year staff member, thank you for your willingness to dive right in; we asked a lot of you this semester and you tackled each task with professionalism and cheer. 

We would also like to thank the CCT faculty and staff for their support this past year. In particular, we would like to thank Dr. Leticia Bode, Gnovis’ faculty advisor, Ai-Hui Tan Director of Academic Programs, Tonya Puffett, CCT Business Manager, and Dr. Matthew Tinkcom, Director of CCT. And of course, we would like to thank you, our readers. We hope you enjoy the 2021 GNOVIS journal. 

Sincerely,

Chelsea Sanchez

Editor-in-Chief, GNOVIS