hodes’ experience and education is the utmost importance to him besides his optimism. He encourages current Communication to be able to make more than just content:
“You want to be a YouTube celebrity? It won’t happen. You want to be a superstar on Twitch? Bad news won’t work out. You want to make a difference in your life? Good grow up and read the AP Stylebook and become a productive member of this field. The saddest thing I have witnessed is the overwhelming goal to be an internet celebrity and this major is not for that. This field is reserved for those who are aware the world is flawed and we need people to step up to the plate and keep our leader accountable for the betterment of our society.”
He continues to express the need for more maturity in the field, as just producing content is not enough, and being a worthwhile Communication major requires a need to reveal truth and justice for the public. Rhodes points out, “There are way too many vanity projects in this field, some have access to media only to feed their ego.” He means that many projects are made with egocentricity, with the sole intent of being made by the producer for the producer instead of for a worthwhile audience. In the field of communication, content needs to be with purpose to inform or persuade audiences to provide insight, not just strictly entertainment pieces. In the communication course, “Law and Policy”, students learn to make ethical decisions and prevent unethical or illegal activities. Rhodes characterizes this course as being, “by far one of the most helpful”, and responds by saying that it is something he uses in his daily agenda while working on projects. While this Communication course is limited to only Communication majors there are other courses that may teach individuals the knowledge to use and how not to use media access.