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.