OPENWIDE 21:3: SKYWARD by OPENWIDE Zine

FIMS' ALTERNATIVE STUDENT PUBLICATION

OPENWIDEZINE.COM

VOL. 21 ISSUE 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS 21.3 contributions Olivia Rodrigo is Gen Z's Taylor Swift Connor Malbeuf: A Canadian Comedian with an American Dream Reflecting on Existentialism During the Pandemic The Neighbour Industrial Complex Tuning out the "V" in "AV" Why the Royals Won't Survive Gen Z We Voted Him Out - Now What? NFT's are a Racket Music That Got Me Through Fourth Year Looking Ahead to Life in the Future NOBODY Film Review Shefali Panicker: The Multilingual Western University Tiktok Star 8 Struggles FIMS Kids Know All Too Well 45 Thoughts FIMS Students Will Have FIMS Yearbook by OPENWIDE Zine Headlines A Word From Our Sponsors

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Safiya Chagani Lexie Misterski Marah Minor Lauren Medeiros Kevin Spiegelberg Celia Shapcott Juliana Konrad & Hailey Wetlauffer Kevin Spiegelberg Courtney Stone Jessie Chabot-Hamden Kevin Spiegelberg Sarena Akhter Anika In't Hout Anika In't Hout Vic Giguere Vic Giguere Vic Giguere

Cover design: Vic Giguere

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8 STRUGGLES

FIMS KIDS

KNOW ALL TOO WELL

1. "WHAT IS FIMS?" , "WHAT IS MIT?" AND "WHAT IS MPI?" Ah yes, the questions asked by many. From your family members to your friends in different faculties, these questions are brought up a lot and we are constantly being asked to explain what they are and what we do in our courses. Like no, we’re not that school in Massachusetts, and no we’re not just sitting in class watching Black Mirror all day. Even though sometimes we do. The Faculty of Information and Media Studies with its two programs, media information and technoculture, and media and the public interest, in a nutshell teaches us to critically look at how media and technology and its effects on everything from movies to advertising to food. Okay? Okay.

2. NOT UNDERSTANDING COURSE READINGS Some FIMS classes have nice, easy to read readings. But others do not. From Marshall McLuhan to Michel Foucault, some course readings are a little long, dry, and hard to understand. A thirtypage reading about the bias of communication isn’t exactly a beach read but hang in there. Even when things are explained in a lecture or tutorial, sometimes it’s still not clear. It’s been four years and I still barely understand what sublime is or what the medium is the message means.

3. THE MANDATORY COURSES Some of the mandatory courses are interesting, depending on what you like. But from learning about semiotics to listening to lectures about singularity, some of the first and second year required courses can be hard to sit through, especially when they are two or three hours long and in the evening. Bring a cup of coffee or two.

4. ALL THE COURSES YOU WANTED FILLING UP SO FAST You create a mock schedule in Draft My Schedule of all the courses you wanted. You’re so excited and pumped. Then, when it comes to enrollment day, many of the courses you wanted like the production classes, Planet Google, or anything with Selma is full. Hang in there buddy, something might open up. Maybe.

ANIKA IN'T HOUT

5. FNB FNB or the FIMS Nursing Building. What a beautiful, modern study spot. Except for the fact that it’s always hard to find a spot in the afternoon, it’s always cold on the lower level in the winter and you have to walk to Health Sci to get some food. All the other faculties except for FIMS, Arts, and Nursing have food in their building, sometimes even more than one eatery! Why can’t we just have one?

6. ALL. THE. ESSAYS. While essays can be satisfying and sometimes even enjoyable to write, we are just given so many. Just when you’ve done one, you have another one due next week. Even when we do have exams, they are almost always in essay format. Like come on FIMS, let’s switch it up every once in a while.

7. THE HARD MARKING Some FIMS students are super-geniuses who somehow always get 90%. I don’t know how they do it though because most people in FIMS celebrate with 75%. With lots of different TAs who all mark differently, FIMS has a reputation for often bell curving up because the TAs and profs mark really hard. Hope you weren’t trying to get into Ivey.

8. “WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR DEGREE?” Like any other arts degree, many family members, friends, and people pursuing non-arts related majors ask us what the heck we are going to do with a media studies degree. While yes, there may be a lot of theory involved in our degree, we are learning to read, write, and think critically. Plus, many FIMS alumni have gone on to do amazing things in advertising, journalism, media production, philanthropy, non-profit organizations, business, law and so much more. So please stop asking us that. With these eight struggles, it can be hard to be a FIMS student sometimes. So just keeping wearing your jean jacket, watching Black Mirror and powering through.

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class of '21

BY OPENWIDE

EMILY ANDERSON

GRACE ARMSTRONG

MADELEINE ASTA

NAOMI BARGHIEL

ALYSHA AUTUMN BAUER

*Insert lyrics to "I'll Always Remember You" by Hannah Montana*

No im not an NFT im an INTJ

FIMS Degree requirement: watch Nosedive 12 times ✅

Saying goodbye is tough. Luckily I get to continue to be a FIMS gal for another year! So for now I'll just drop some cool art: @artbynaomii

I'm going to be famous...just wait and see

KATIE BENNETT

JORDAN BERGER

ALEXIA CAIN

SAFIYA CHAGANI

ANNE COWLEY

It's been a good run - peace out FIMS!

Funny how 4 years of learning about the dangers of tech and media landed me a job in digital advertising…Thanks FIMS for the best 4 years, BIG love to the best faculty at Western.

" "I get half a million just to show up at parties. My life is, like, really, really fun." - Paris Hilton" - Alexia Cain

"I'm eating Nandos and watching Avatar can i call you back?"

Fremulon. not a doctor, shh.

EMMA DELLA ROCCA

NICOLE DENHAM

OLIVIA FERRARI

VIC GIGUERE

SKYLAR GOMES

After 4 years of MIT I can confidently say that capitalism is in fact, bad.

“We thrive not when we’ve done it all, but when we still have more to do.” – Sarah Lewis @nicoledenham_11

Ever since I was born I knew I was meant to be in London, Ontario

Can't wait to take my socialist education and use it to make capitalist advertisements @vicgiguere

4 years later and I still tell people FIMS is “media & stuff”! Anywho that’s a W(r)AP on 4th year”

FIMS YEARBOOK BY OPENWIDE

TORI GOODWIN

GRIFFIN JAEGER

JOSETTE JOSEPH

ABIGAIL KNUBLEY

KRISTEN LE

They told me senior year would go by fast but I never thought it would zoom

We made it friends! Can't wait to feature all you cool people on my talk show someday! Cheers to the memories, don't be strangers and I’ll catch ya later Western :)

When I win an Oscar in 2035, y’all can say you knew me <3

Um...

My face is up here

NOAM LEVY

TARYN MATTEAZZI

GRACE MAURY

ZACH MCKONE

JAY MEDLAND

Thank you FIMS for teaching me how to spell the word "bourgeoisie".

Just taryn it up!

Is capitalism good or bad? Asking for a friend.

Even though we didn’t get to say goodbye in person, I will always be thankful for FIMS and the close companions I found along the way. Stay cool FIMS.

“Boys come and go. Twitter is forever” - Kesha

MARAH MINOR

LEXIE MISTERSKI

MEREDITH MITCHELL

CHRISTINE PARK

DE-NICE PEPE

FIMS kid for life

I want to thank FIMS for giving me the ability to throw the word “hegemony” into everyday conversations, wonderful friends, great memories, and existential dread about the state of the world.

I truly feel like I was a frosh for forever, and then I blinked and it was over. Farewell FIMS, I hardly knew you.

My accomplishment: knowing how to MLA format my essays without owl.purdue.edu.

Remember to make good choices and that it's always sunny in doucheville <3 @denice_pepe

FIMS YEARBOOK BY OPENWIDE

KATE SHAPCOTT

MAX SHAY

MAYA SIMON

KEVIN SPIEGELBERG

COURTNEY STONE

I'm just a hermit crab changing shells, onto the next life

Thank you all for an amazing 4 years, it would't have been the same without you! @maxshay1

I really hope I get a job after this... cheers!

MIT made me hate technology, social media, advertising, everything I eat, and most of society...and I wouldn’t change it for the world. birdapp: @Kevin_Spiegs

"College was like a four year game show called 'Do My Friends Hate Me or Do I Just Need To Go To Sleep?'" John Mulaney

AMY THOMPSON

HAYLEY TRIGATTI

TIFFANY ZHAO

it's been a slice :) peace n love <3

S/O to jrr and tim, my mom, dad, brother, my friends, and ms underwood. you guys rock and so does fims<3

I’m almost the same person from before FIMS, but with a bit more worry that we are all doomed cuz of technology

fims mems

creative commons

alt crawl inappropriate office party

fims formal

cyborg moth

media arts festival

FIMS YEARBOOK BY OPENWIDE

Zine Headlines Victoria Giguere

Students to receive Western diplomas in the mail upon completion of degree No word on a ceremony yet, but sources say it should happen before 2030.

Resurgance of Club Penguin bringing pandemic hope to discouraged youth Coders scrambled to rebuild the online gaming platform after anxiety and depression rates skyrocketed

New FIMS leadership to propose an alternative alternative magazine Sources say CLOSED NARROW has been heavily considered for the title of the publication

And now.. a word from our sponsors Victoria Giguere "Oh sorry, I think you're on mute..."

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You know it's bad when you get the video of the guy telling you to leave the app.

An undisputable "essential service" according to Mr. Ford

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