Adriana Hernandez, FCLC 2024

MAJOR: Film, Communications & Culture

BIO: Adriana Hernandez is a NYC native pursuing a career in media and marketing. She began creating films 9 years ago with a strong interest in social equity. She's worked in influencer and social media marketing for almost 3 years, igniting her interest in how social media is a tool for social change, and inspiring her project, The Digital Divide. Adriana's dream is to continue creating content for film and marketing, using her work as a means of education and inspiration for future generations.

PROJECT TITLE: The Digital Divide

MENTOR: Eli Bromberg, Department of Communication and Media Studies

ABSTRACT: The pandemic, the recession, wage inequality, homelessness, and inflation. What happens when we amplify devastating socioeconomic events on social media? Creators on TikTok have generated platforms based on their discussion and personal display of these issues, engaging audiences across the United States. This project aimed to explore the intricacies of why creators have turned to this style of content, and how they are rooted within the current socioeconomic divide and inequality in the United States. 

This project utilized interviews with several industry professionals, academics, and influencers who create content around socioeconomic issues. Through these interviews, research, and TikTok, the documentary has come to understand that audiences, especially those of minority and underprivileged backgrounds who may not have another source of education, turn to TikTok to see and understand the financial struggles Americans are facing, and how they can pull themselves out of financial hardship. The functionalities of TikTok not only allow for easy, cheap publication and the mass-pointed decimation of information, but it also allows for discussion and learning by citizens who feel failed by the American institution. This content thus has been born out of the American struggle and the will of those wanting a change, demonstrating the necessity for political, economic, and social reform within America.