Marialina Antolini

I'm a communication scholar enthusiastic about teaching and researching the new ways we consume and share information.

I’m Marialina Antolini, a PhD Candidate in the School of Journalism, Information and Media Program at Michigan State University. My research investigates the new ways we consume and share information, focusing on how youth use social media platforms to engage in activism in the Global South and information-sharing processes in politically polarized scenarios.

With over 20 years of professional experience, I have worked as a journalist and communication consultant for various international agencies. My work has spanned diverse areas such as security and human rights, environment, education, and mobilization, among others.

Teaching

I approach teaching as an exercise of both telling and listening to stories, and as a communication scholar, I teach storytelling. Teaching, but also learning,

listening, and dialoguing. Following the critical pedagogical approach developed by educator Paulo Freire, I understand my role as a mediator. With experience in academic and non-academic settings, I challenge the students to reflect on their professional responsibilities, how they view the world, and the different ways

the topic at hand can be understood.

Academic Courses:

Michigan State University

Instructor of Record

Story, Sound and Motion II - DS113
Story, Sound and Motion I - CAS112
Writing and Reporting News - JRN 200

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Story, Sound and Motion II - DS113
Social Media Storytelling - CAS 841
Writing and Reporting News - JRN 200

Federal University of Espirito Santo

Lecturer

Public Relations
History of Communication Systems
Communication Theories – Contemporary Perspectives for Cinema and Audiovisual (Session 1) & Journalism (Session 2)
Ethics and Law in Communication – Journalism (Session 1) & Propaganda

(Session 2)

Volunteer Professor

Special Topics in Journalism - Media and Human Rights

Sample of Courses Taught in a non-academic Environment:

Media and Human Rights; Media Literacy; Social Media And Youth; Social Media & Activism Workshops - Audiences: research groups, NGOs, youth groups, among others.

Strengthening the Capacity of Justice System Operators to Curb Rights Violations of Children and Adolescents Committed by the Brazilian Media, by ANDI – Communication and Rights - Audience: Workers of the Brazilian Justice System;

Communication and Mobilization Processes in Security and Human Rights Programs and Projects, by United Nations Development Programme - UNDP - Audience: police force, members of high-violence rate communities, policies makers, among others.

research

In my research, I’m investigating how youth in the Global South, especially young women of color from underprivileged communities, use social media

platforms to engage in activism. Using a range of qualitative methods and a decolonial approach, I’m exploring topics such as storytelling processes, information consumption and sharing, community empowerment, and digital influencers as opinion leaders, political engagement online and journalistic roles.

This five-minute video shows a bit of my research: Social Medial Activism in Brazil

Academic Publications

Peer-Reviewed

Antolini, M.; Silva, M. P.; Vos, T. (2024). Metajournalistic discourse in US covarage of Brazil: Journalistic roles and values related to threats to democracy. Journalism Studies (Forthcoming).

Antolini, M. C., Rebouças, E. (2016). Globalização e tirania da informação: a formação de cidadãos na democracia neoliberal. Passagens Journal. 6 (2), p. 6-19. ISSN: 2179-9938

Books

Zanetti, D; Reis, R.; Antolini, M. C. (2021). Minorias midiatizadas: gêneros, etnias e territórios (mediatized minorities: gender, ethnicities and territories).

Book. UFPel. ISBN: 978-65-86440-65-2. (In Portuguese).

Book Chapter

Antolini, M. C., Rebouças, E. (2017). Comunicação, Direitos Humanos e Cidadania: territorialidades que se entrelaçam (Communication, Human Rights and Citizenship: territorialities that intertwine). In: Cultura e Poder, Redes e Mídias. Ruth Reis e Daniela Zanetti (org). Vitória: Edufes, 2017. ISBN: 978-85-7772-363-8.

(In Portuguese).

scholarship

I believe the work being done in academic settings should go beyond the university walls. Therefore, I’m always looking for possibilities to explore different forms

of scholarship, generating projects in partnership with different non-academic

groups and communities, with mutually beneficial results.

Projects being done with people, not only for them.

“It is essential to reduce the distance between what is said and what is done

(the praxis), so, at a given moment, what you say

will become your practice.” Paulo Freire

Selected Scholarship Experiences

Field workshops

During fieldwork research in Brazil for my dissertation, in contact with the different

participants of the study, I offered two workshops. They chose the topics according to

their more pressing needs. The first workshop was for the teams at the Youth Reference

Centers, focusing on community communication and tools to dialogue with the youth in

the neighborhood. The second one was offered to the girls (young women of color from

underprivileged communities that are part of youth groups) participants, with open seats for other girls from the community. This workshop focused on media literacy for social media platforms and tools for better use.

Sem Saída Documentary Film

I’m the director of the audiovisual production “Sem Saida” (No Way Out). The documentary is a product of research about the Military Police strike in 2017 and its violent consequences for the

youth. In 21 days of the movement, over 200 homicides were recorded in the state of

Espirito Santo, Brazil (almost three times the monthly average). (In Portuguese)

Workshops at the Media Observatory

The Media Observatory: Human Rights, Policies, Systems and Transparency is a

research and action group. I have led workshops on Media and Human Rights, Media Literacy, Social Media and Youth, Social Media and activism, Human Rights in Journalism Practice within the group’s activities. The workshops had a variety of audiences, including penal system workers, journalists, activists, youth, and K-12 students.