Newsletter #55: University of Plymouth gives TikTok what it wants; Blockbuster Video might get a sequel; iPod Nanos are retro now
đź“° HE news
Here’s something you didn’t expect in 2022: Good news for Languages! Surging interests in anime and K-pop (underscored by a global streaming boom) has seen acceptances onto Korean and Japanese degrees increase as much as 71% since 2012. Even better, student enthusiasm is matched by industry demand - there’s a global shortage of (good) translators with shows like Squid Game draining talent pools, so there’s certainly an angle for those of you looking after Languages to link courses with lucrative careers in the Entertainment industry. Languages surge | Translator shortage
Ireland is responding to a challenging international recruitment market with mergers and acquisitions. By the end of 2022, the country will have created five new “technological universities”, bundling up existing institutes of technology and offering more programmes favoured by international students. As expected, champions for these mergers cheer for “work-ready graduates”, yet rule out Philosophy (and subjects akin) from the curriculum, which seems like a missed opportunity. We need more than engineering skills to support tech’s pivot to privacy and, specifically, handle Meta’s ethical black hole. Read
đź“Š Marketing and media news
More people visited TikTok in 2021 than Google. Let’s pause for a moment and consider 1) why this could be the case and 2) what this means for your marketing. Firstly, TikTok not only entertains but (like Google) provides answers. It’s not uncommon for Gen Z to learn via the app - finance, international business, marketing… You can learn it all on TikTok. Supercharge this content with the world’s best algorithm and your entertainment becomes your learning - also, when’s the last time Google made you laugh? In 2022, the best move a university can make on TikTok is to niche down on a specialist topic. If you’re known for the arts, maybe that’s having your students educate your audience on how to make a living as a creative? Or, if you’re more focused on business - how about, every day, an alumnus shares one thing they wish they’d known about the world of work? The key is to start small and be consistent. Read
Remember Blockbuster Video? A group called Blockbuster DAO is planning to buy the brand from Dish Network (for $1.8m) and create a new streaming service owned by filmmakers, screenwriters and industry talent. Now, there’s a lot to unpack here. Firstly, you’re going to be hearing the phrase DAO (decentralised autonomous organisation) a lot more in 2022. Essentially, it’s an organisation governed by a community of token (in this case NFT) holders. It’s all very meme-worthy, but a quick scroll through the project’s Discord and you’ll see grown-up questions about contracts, the content library and supporting independent film. Nostalgia is a weapon and intersects nicely with web3 hype - with the right momentum we could soon see the revival of Blockbuster from limbo. Blockbuster DAO | What is a DAO
🏫 What unis are doing
University of Plymouth asked “what would happen if you placed 1,650 ping-pong balls in liquid nitrogen?” and TikTok responded with 105K views. It’s the perfect example of university content that does well on the platform: Visual demonstrations and blowing sh*t up. Maybe the uni should start a side channel or at the very least repurpose this for an open day ad. It’s cool. Look
California Institute of the Arts has a blog dedicated to the work of its alumni and faculty. After reading a few posts, you genuinely get a sense of the institutes’ influence on the film and creative industries - a powerful recruitment asset. Amazingly, it’s been running since 2009 too, and they publish several times per week. It may not look flashy but there’s a lot to be said for its consistency - to my knowledge there is no other arts university that has blogged about its students and their impact to this extent. Look
University of Liverpool did a 2021 end of year round-up of student stories, but it wasn’t your typical “… and then I got my dream job” scenario. These stories share adversity - students overcoming cancer, gaps in their education and even fleeing their country in search of a new life. I could take or leave the John Lewis piano music, but the content is hard-hitting and speaks to the diversity of the student body. It’s a nice piece and a fresh take on end of year content. Look
🧑‍🎓 What students are saying
“We were all hungry to get back into everyday life and continue some sense of normalcy that we missed over COVID, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take for that to return. It has been far more fun than I expected.” Students reflect on 2021’s Autumn term. Read
đź‘ľ Culture shock
Someone using iPod Nanos as hair clips blew up TikTok. Apparently, this style is called “retro millennial” which absolutely terrifies me. Look
In defence of social media, we wouldn’t have been able to create the Num Num Cat chain without it. Look
