By Anthony Joy/300level Mass Communication Student UNILAG
If you are a Mass Comm student in Nigeria, you know the struggle. It’s not just the 8:00 AM theories of communication; it’s the physical stress. It’s carrying a heavy DSLR camera under the Lagos sun, it’s the endless hours in a dark editing suite, and it’s the nightmare of transcribing a 45-minute interview with a politician who speaks in proverbs.
Last semester, I almost reached my breaking point. I had a Radio Production project due, a 4,000-word feature article for Newspaper Editing, and three brand shoots for my side-hustle as a social media manager.
In 2024, I would have just "carried my cross" and probably ended up with a C. But in 2026, I turned my laptop into my personal Newsroom Assistant.
The Transcription Miracle
My biggest headache was an interview I did at the suya spot with a local community leader. The background noise was chaotic—horns honking, people shouting, music blasting.
Instead of spending six hours rewinding and typing, I used Adobe Podcast’s AI Enhance to scrub the noise, then fed the audio into Descript.
• The Result: In five minutes, I had a perfect transcript.
• The "Magic": The AI even identified when I was speaking versus the interviewee. I finished my feature article before my Indomie was even soft.
My "Personal Editor" (NotebookLM)
For my Communication Theory exam, I had to memorize the works of Marshall McLuhan and Wilbur Schramm. I uploaded all my PDFs and scanned copies of my "photocopy" notes into NotebookLM.
I didn't just read; I talked to the notes. I asked, "Explain the 'Global Village' theory using the 2023 Nigerian Elections as an example." The AI broke it down so clearly that I could practically see the exam answers forming in my head. It even created a 10-question mock quiz for me to test my knowledge while I was on the bus to school.
The Side-Hustle: AI as my Creative Director
Between classes, I manage the Twitter (X) and Instagram pages for a small boutique in Ikeja. I used to spend hours thinking of "captions that go hard." Now, I use a Custom GPT I programmed with my own “Naija Voice.”
I just upload a photo of the new sneakers, and it generates:
• A witty caption in standard English for LinkedIn.
• A "vibes-based" caption in Pidgin for IG: “Cleanest kicks in the city, no cap! 👟 Lagos people, don't sleep on this one. Link in bio to cop yours!”
• A thread of 5 tweets about “Sustainable Fashion in Nigeria.”
The Verdict: We Aren’t Just Students; We’re Media Techies
Mass Comm in 2026 isn't just about "reporting the news"—it's about managing information. AI didn't do the work for me; it removed the "busy work" so I could focus on being creative and telling better stories.
THE STUDENT TOOLKIT: How to "AI-Proof" Your Degree
If you want to move from "stressed" to "settled," here is how you can use these real-world tools right now:
1. For the Journalists: No More Manual Transcription
• The Tool: Descript or Otter.ai.
• The Hack: Upload your interview recordings. It will give you a text version in minutes. Use the "Filler Word Removal" to automatically delete all the "umms," "ahhs," and "you knows" from your radio projects.
2. For the Scholars: Your AI
Research Partner
• The Tool: NotebookLM.
• The Hack: Upload your course materials (PDFs, PowerPoints). Use the "Notebook Guide" feature to generate a Study Podcast. Listen to it while you’re stuck in traffic or doing house chores. It turns your textbook into a conversation.
3. For the Content Creators: The Prompt Engineering
• The Tool: Gemini or ChatGPT.
• The Hack: Don't just ask for a "caption." Give it Context.
• Bad Prompt: “Write a caption for a fashion brand.”
• Good Prompt: “I am a Mass Comm student in Lagos managing a local brand. Write a caption in Nigerian Pidgin for these new Ankara bags. Make it funny and relatable to Gen Z.”
4. For the Audio/Video Editors: AI Cleanup
• The Tool: Adobe Podcast (Enhance Speech).
• The Hack: If you recorded a voiceover and there was a "Gen" (generator) roaring in the background, run the file through this free tool. It makes a cheap phone recording sound like it was done in a professional studio at Silverbird.
