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What does the next generation of communication professionals think of the state of today’s communication field?

We asked students in an introductory course at St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication to describe the state of the industry in one word and to then explain why they chose the word.

Here is what they told us.

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Digital

Communication today is dominated by the digital world. While physical and (obviously) verbal forms of communication are still relevant and meaningful, the usage of apps/websites like email and iMessage reign supreme even in the professional realm of communication.

— Logan Coyman

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Instantaneous

We live in a highly technological world, with an increasing reliance on the use of phones, computers and other such devices as a primary means of communication. With just a few taps anyone from anywhere in the world with access to the internet can communicate with someone across the globe in seconds, the second their finger hits send they are able to transport media thousands of miles in a split second.

— Finnegan Soucy

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Corporate

It seems that control of the media is being consolidated by large corporations and lobbies. This creates bias in the news. It is also concerning to see the decline of public media like NPR and PBS due to funding cuts, while sensationalized and biased 24-hour news networks grow.

— Joe Deinhart

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Accelerated

Throughout the history of communication, it has more or less always been a “race” to break the news the fastest. It’s still the same now, only accelerated to proportions few would have thought were possible. If you title a trade “Breaking News” and it was 20 minutes ago- it’s old news.

— Jack Handman

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Extensive

There are so many ways to communicate in the year 2025. Between social media, the internet, news reporting, and the fact that you can contact anybody from anywhere in an instant, communication is being used at an unimaginable scale.

— Canton Wetzel

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Exciting

Communication today is such a great field to be a part of. There are so many different opportunities for all of us, it’s not just one small simple field. There’s the newspapers, TV networks, and so much more for us to get into. It’s also a way to express ourselves to the world, and share information.

— Ethan Garcia

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Growing

There are so many ways to communicate in the year 2025. Between social media, the internet, news reporting, and the fact that you can contact anybody from anywhere in an instant, communication is being used at an unimaginable scale.

— Matt Maciejewski

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Variety

Communication today has changes since when our parents were kids even when we were kids. There are so many ways that you can communicate with your peers, family members, bosses, and big corporations. Having a wide variety of ways we can communicate with each other allows discussion and voicing your opinion.

— Wyatt Weaver

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Simple

Communication has undergone significant changes over the past 20 years. You have email, text, or any social media out there. It’s so easy to reach and find the people that you need to talk to. If a person back then had to ring up a dial phone and pull out a 500-page phone book, it would easily waste time. Now, you can find someone by the touch of a button. Communication is key in any area of society.

— Mason Pieri

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Perpetual

In context, the state of communication in today’s world, is never ending, meaning that something new is going to happen – or is happening – every day, hour, even minute, that requires us to never stop constantly covering the world and the events occurring.

— Peter Szumigala

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Broken

I think communication has developed into something that people just do to post an opinion not the facts anymore and it really messing up what communication is. Yes opinion is a apart of the field but its not the whole reason behind what it is supposed to do for people.

— Sophie Baker

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Arguable

I would say that the state of communication today would be arguable because the majority of news reports and other things that we hear through communications are largely argument based and or written or told in a way that elicits arguments among people. Not only this but how the majority of stories are told or reports are written are produced because they want people to see it and have a reaction, however the reactions that most news outlets are getting are largely not positive because people are having outraged reactions or over the top reactions.

— Grace Miller

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Intense

In today’s world, there are many new and different forms of communication. It can be overwhelming at times and can be as small as a conversation with a friend or as big as a world wide news article. Communication is very important and is the main way to get your opinions and ideas out to the public.

— Tara Friedman

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Ever-changing

The ways we communicate change rapidly through time. We now get lots of information through technology and the internet. It is important to evolve the ways we convey knowledge to one another. We can do this by growing and changing together as a community.

— Sadie Kazacos

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Confused

Communication has become a lost art form in the early 21st century. Since the emergence of smart technology, specifically over the past 15 to 20 years, people have forgotten how to communicate effectively face-to-face. Nowadays, most people would prefer to send a text message or an email instead of shake someone’s hand and introduce themselves.

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— Lohan Mastrian

Flooded

With how accessible technology has become, the industry has been overwhelmed by voices lacking any credible background or citations. The truth is muddled by baiting, politically driven headlines to get every internet brownie point and click in every type of media imaginable: TikTok, podcasts, self-published books, independent investigators, federally-televised news, and agenda-setting news websites. Any event can twist into a flashy story for viewers to agree and feel righteous from, encouraging journaists and news to cater towards their audience instead of informing them, especially with the rise of AI in the last half a decade.

— Tessa Natale

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