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I was born in Jyväskylä and for me it was always clear that I would stay here to study at my hometown university. When I was comparing study places in my last year of upper secondary school, the comparison was not between different cities but the study options at JYU. I got the spark to study speech communication when I worked as an intern and assistant at Yle Radio Keski-Suomi after upper secondary school. At that time, the campus of communication studies was located next to my workplace and I thought this type of studies could be suitable for me. In 2017, I completed my master’s degree in communication, with minors in journalism and intercultural communication.

I have worked at the University continuously since autumn 2016. Now I have a career of almost seven years here in different cultural communication and journalism projects. I am currently a doctoral researcher of journalism and a part-time teacher at the Open University of the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥.

In my dissertation I study the relationship between media operators and audiences in social media in the light of gatekeeping theory. In relation to audience relationship and audience data, I have examined the ethicality of the media’s actions on their own platforms and in social media. The project Eettisyys digitaalisissa asiakaspoluissa (Ethicality in digital customer paths), in which I worked as a project researcher for a year, just ended at the Department of Language and Communication Studies.

The working community consists of a large group of people

I am a researcher, so my weeks are filled with research, thinking, reading and participating in various department and project meetings. I meet many people every week because for a researcher the working community is a broad concept and you are in contact with many different parts of the organisation. The work community could be described as fragmented in a good way: you might be working on a project with someone and ask for help from someone else. The most important thing is that your support networks are strong and you always find help in the end.

You don’t have time to get bored at work, because there’s always something happening and people around you change. However, this kind of change is only positive as it is refreshing to work with new people and expand your networks to other universities. It could be said that all the small fragments of the working environment construct a big sea in which it is nice to float and work.

I find it important to be part of various networks and associations in my field, as by doing together you always learn more and your networks and knowledge grow fast. Through various positions of trust it is also possible to grow your international networks.

The positions of trust in the field of societal interaction are a big part of my day. I am currently an alternate member of the public in the Council for Mass Media in Finland and a member of the council’s workgroup responsible for updating the journalistic guidelines. I also work as a representative of young researchers in the journalism division of the International Communication Association ICA. Earlier I was also a board member of the Rajapinta researcher community for four years, of which the last two I was the chairperson. The positions of trust give new perspective and motivate me to continue my research.

Creative work with passion

Qualitative research is creative work. I follow the field of journalism and social media as well as get familiar with different phenomena. Working as a researcher reminds me of being an entrepreneur, because you can operate freely according to your own insight. In joint projects I have also had a free hand and the chance to learn among relaxed, encouraging and experienced researchers.

I am always motivated in my work because I can research exactly what interests me. As a researcher, it’s important to have the will to learn and courage to step out of your comfort zone – you should try to test your wings since they may carry you – sometimes by accident!

As a counterbalance to the extensive brainwork of a research career and my volunteer activities, I enjoy the outdoors and easily accessible hobbies and cultural services of Jyväskylä. This is a place where nature and lakes are always nearby and distances are not too long.