Who is Ogo Ike?

Third Year Media and Communications student, majoring in Public Relations and Social Media at Macquarie University. Come and see what inspires me :)

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So you may be wondering why I chose to study a media and communications degree while majoring in public relations and social media at Macquarie University. Well the answer is we are surrounded by social media whether we choose to engage with it or not. I am eager to start my career in social media management, especially in the area of beauty and fashion. Social media has the ability to connect individuals from all over the globe, and my dream is to one day create a brand that caters to young women (an emphasis on young black women) who may want to start a career in the social media influencing industry and need an agency to help, elevate, and support them!

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Image cited: Google images https://sasseagency.com/lets-get-social-2018-trends/

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The media leaders that inspire me as a media consumer is The Receipts Podcast. The Receipts Podcast is a fun, honest podcast fronted by three British women who are willing to talk about anything and everything. From relationships to everyday life experiences. What I love most about this podcast and these women is that their podcast is not only hilarious and entertaining, but educational, real and thought-provoking. The three British women are all minorities (Black-British and Latino), and they are unafraid to speak their minds on serious issues. I find myself constantly relating to these women and their many stories of living life as a minority in London, which I find is very similar to Sydney, as well as being a modern day woman in society. They have inspired me to never be afraid of speaking my mind no matter what circumstances I have come from. A recent episode that inspired me was the episode titled “Just the tip”. In this episode, the girls talk about the very serious topic of sexual assault and how it has affected many women’s lives. The women share their own experiences which makes me reflect on how common this is amongst women. They detail ways in which men need to be held accountable for their actions and how women need to be protected from such acts. I am forever grateful for this podcast because it has inspired me to create my own platform that helps to uplift women, as well as creating a safe space for women of colour to relate and share their experiences with each other. Podcasts are a very unique way of conveying one’s thoughts and feelings, and because of The Receipts Podcast, I have a new found respect and love for podcasts, no matter the content.

Images cited: Google images https://play.acast.com/s/thereceipts

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/41165/1/the-receipts-a-group-chat-with-the-girls-behind-the-hilarious-podcast%3famp=1

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An industry sector I am most looking forward to after University is starting my own niche influencer marketing agency for up and coming black Australian women influencers. I have noticed that there is not a market for young, black Australian influencers compared to that of the US or the UK. As a black Australian woman myself, I would love to see more influencers who I can relate to and I envision myself one day creating a space to support, uplift and help up and coming black Australian influencers so that a market is created for us Aussie black girls. 

Another potential industry sector I am interested in is social media coordinating for a well known fashion or beauty company. I love all things fashion and beauty, and I think it would be amazing to create social media posts that are engaging, innovative and audience focused. Social media is such a great tool in connecting with target markets all around the globe, so I would love to put my creativity to the test to see what wonderful ideas I could come up with! :)

Images cited: Google images https://www.businessinsider.com/influencer-marketing-report?r=AU&IR=T

https://medium.com/@ReputationDefender/how-social-media-changes-the-beauty-industry-landscape-a3f9b7bbecc1

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A class-related text that shaped me in some way is a text by scholar Edward Said titled ‘Orientalism’. Said was interested in the way in which the West’s representations of the East are based on constructs of an ‘us’ vs ‘them’ paradigm. For example, the West have constructed many binaries through art, media, anthropology and literature that convey a message that says ‘The West is moral and the East are immoral’ or ‘The West is Modern and the East are Backward’. These binaries are what Said calls ‘Orientalism’. Throughout analysing this text, it is clear that Orientalism still exists today, especially in contemporary media. A modern day example that was also present centuries ago, is the idea of fetishisation. People of Oriental descent (Middle Eastern, South and East Asian) as well as Africans, have been represented by the Western media as ‘exotic’, ‘erotic’, ‘sensual’, and ‘primal’. Many Oriental media actors are casted as this trope which further emphasises this representation and stereotype that the Western media have constructed. Said mentions that as a result of Orientalism, the human side of the Islamic and Arab world are rarely to be found in media, art, literature etc. This thought has opened my eyes and has shaped me because it shifts my focus to the many ways in which contemporary Western media lack accurate representation of non white communities, further creating a disconnect in society. 

Edward Said (2000) 'Orientalism Reconsidered', in Reflections on Exile and Other Essays, Cambridge: Harvard Uni. Press 

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In the class MMCC2100 Public Relations and Social Media: Foundation and Cases, we had to conduct a media kit for an Australian organisation aiding in the recovery of the Australian Bushfires. During this assessment, I had the opportunity of working in a group and we came up with successful initiatives, media and public relations strategies that aligned with the organisation’s key publics. As part of the media kit, I was to complete a media release which outlined the organisation’s objectives and the ways in which the project will help the recovery process in Bateman’s Bay (which was a heavily affected town). Upon completing the media release, I gained skills such as recognising an organisation’s key publics and aligning accurate media strategies to said publics, as well as effectively communication vital information through the use of a media release, which will definitely come in handy in a professional social media or PR work environment. These skills have opened my eyes to real world possibilities that can be applied not only in the classroom, but outside of the classroom as well. 

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An extracurricular activity I have taken up recently that has helped me to develop more skills outside the classroom is film photography. I’ve enjoyed seeing life through a 35mm lens, especially capturing candid moments of my friends and having these memories to look back on. This extracurricular activity has taught me how to be a media producer or a creator of content. Through these images, I hope to create a story that evokes emotion on whoever sees them, and I think that is the true meaning of content creating.

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I am grateful for the opportunity to study at Macquarie University because I have gained very useful skills that I know will definitely propel me in a professional environment. Skills such as creating and developing public relations strategies for a potential organisation, applying accurate research to projects, and aligning the correct media outlets for an organisation’s key publics.

Image cited: Google images https://viccareers.com/2015/10/30/top-ten-skills-employers-look-for/