Teaching the Digital Age to the Online Generation | Faculty Interview
Dr. Stephanie Tripp, Associate Profession of Communications at The University of Tampa, is a scholar of the digital age. A graduate of the University of Tampa, she received her master and doctorate degrees from the University of South Florida before working for various newspapers around the Tampa area. Passionate about the open expression of ideas in a scholarly environment, she decided to become a professor at the University of Tampa. “It’s a thoughtful job,” said Tripp, “It’s the coolest thing you can get paid to do.”
Tripp is a digital media scholar. She specializes in how information changes from print to digital formats. “I find it fascinating the implications and consequences the adaptation of information has on a society and culture.” She values having a strong sense of community. Her projects, mainly focused on the Tampa area, aim to “create an open, active discussion” of a multicultural community. “Currently I’m working on an interactive tarot card set that links to different places around Tampa that give information and history about the particular place.” Said Tripp, “I want people to be aware of where we came from and who we are. I also want to give a voice to communities that may not have one.”
Discovering ways on how to get people interested in a project and participate is a concept Tripp is no stranger to. “People have different reactions to projects from what you initially intended. The eye-opening part is understanding their views and the ways in which people use media differently from its intended purpose.” Tripp used the example of the phonograph to illustrate an example. “It was originally used strictly as an office tool. Now, we only know it as a device that plays music.” In the ever-changing digital age, Tripp remains fascinated about the prospects technology can have in the future. “I find it fascinating how people who want to push away from the mainstream have a way of developing their own culture through the use of media. People can use technology and media in revolutionary ways.”
