Hyunmu Lee, MSc Media and Communications (Data & Society), 2021.
- Programme Studied: MSc Media and Communications (Data & Society)
- Year of graduation: 2021
- LinkedIn profile
How was your experience of studying at LSE?
I could figure out how to approach the impact of data and innovation in the media industry. Followed by my former job in broadcast journalism, I participated in the Journalism AI project Polis (lse.ac.uk) led by Professor Charlie Beckett, applying to my dissertation. I was also able to obtain work experience at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) through LSE, allowing me to understand how to make 5G, IoT, and artificial intelligence contribute to the sustainable information, communication, and technology system. As a person who loves writing, I enjoyed writing essays and a dissertation, and have learned that I especially like comparative analysis between different platforms and regions.
Tell us about your career journey after graduating.
My vision is to become multi-sectoral between the public and private sectors, as well as communication and technology. Both sectors and industries affect each other, ethically and financially. The questions are how content and information travel by algorithms, what makes people keep consuming meaningful content, and what will be the future models in the media industry. I started my new job at Sky to find my own answers. In the end, I will integrate my strength in public storytelling, data analysis, and cosmopolitan outlooks. Our society needs more people who can bridge them.
What’s the best piece of career advice you have received?
Take the advantage of job seeking periods to learn about the industry in the most effective way. I really appreciated the feedback from recruiters/hiring managers regardless of results, which is the richest and the most live information you can get about the industry. Dig into their jobs while being interviewed, extract essential resources, write down everything to digest, and use your time to ask to maximise this effect. More importantly, getting into the company is not a final goal, but rather getting a chance to draw a bigger vision. Proactively build a path.
What’s the greatest challenge you had to overcome?
Accept the fact that I can make mistakes while building my new home away from home. As time flies, it is much less than before, but do not be embarrassed when you first confront it. In the past, for example, I passed my job interview because I didn't know it was a screening interview, which is different from my cultural origin. This is just one of many examples, and it happened to me in all different aspects. I knew it is not my fault, since I was confident that I was well-prepared, and other than that, it was just out of my control. Enjoy trials and errors, which means you are growing. After this period, I appreciate that I understand multiple societies being cosmopolitan.
What is your greatest achievement?
It was the moment when I gave a presentation at the ITU in UN Geneva regarding my dissertation about regional search engine algorithms and their implication on cross-border disinformation. Disinformation is related to my article published at The National Interest, when I worked at the German Marshall Fund in Washington DC. This article was also driven by my experience when I was a news reporter in Seoul. Yes, my achievements are connected, consolidating my own stories. Now, I am connecting this finding to the business world, asking how I can contribute to the development of the media ecosystem in a futuristic and innovative way.
What is your fondest memory of your time at LSE?
When I first landed in the UK, my white nervousness has become colourful fruitfulness throughout my life at LSE. It has become my universe, my family, and a warm shelter. Picking up readings, soaking myself in scholars, enjoying writings, LSE libraries, picnics in Lincoln field, reminiscences at LSE Dorm, and every spot in London like Tower Bridge and Saint Paul was our place to study and enjoy together. My colleagues from all different backgrounds made me understand different perspectives, never take things for granted, and widen my universe.