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Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Illustration Rachel Choi

As a creator, the TikTok ban has alarming implications for us all

By Madison McMahon, Beacon Contributor / January 29, 2025

When all the Supreme Court opinions and congressional news coverage told me in no uncertain terms that TikTok would be banned in the United States, I cried.  Over...

Illustration Kellyn Taylor

The TikTok ban stunned America. The political agenda behind it should too.

By Bailey Flaherty, Beacon Contributor / January 29, 2025

On the evening of Jan. 18, TikTok’s American ban went into effect. Of course, mass panic ensued when the app shut down and all the phone addicts of...

Illustration Rachel Choi

In a barely literate America, a TikTok ban is the least of our concerns

By Ella Duggan, Opinion Editor / January 15, 2025

We have known that there was a possibility that TikTok could be restricted in the United States since early last year. But when Congress and Senate declared...

Don't let the world un-alive your tongue

Don’t let the world un-alive your tongue

By Rachel Choi / December 3, 2024

Technology has progressed to a point so vast that most people have the entire world at their fingertips. Collective knowledge of nearly everything that...

Illustration Rachel Choi

Comment culture: Who even are you?

By Madison McMahon, Beacon Contributor / November 20, 2024

“I hope you white liberal women never procreate” - @j_lucero.21 on TikTok “You’re so ignorant and uneducated” - @twinmamarock on TikTok “Eat...

Illustration by Kellyn Taylor

Not your friend: the dangers of parasocial relationships

By Josie Arteaga, Beacon Contributor / October 16, 2024
“She is so important to me and I don’t know what I would do without her.” 
Illustration by Rachel Choi

Timeless or tired: fall fashion 2024

By Elisa Ligero, Beacon Contributor / October 16, 2024
Every season, I look forward to the fresh trends that the season will bring—something unexpected to shake up my wardrobe.
Illustration Kellyn Taylor

Think TikTok won’t be banned in the U.S.? Think again

By Ella Duggan, Assistant Opinion Editor / April 17, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice.  A bill was...

Illustration Kellyn Taylor

TikTok Shop and the transition into consumer-based connection

By Sydney Thomas-Arnold, Beacon Correspondent / February 28, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice. Social media,...

Illustration Rachel Choi

Is TikTok the new fashion trend?

By MacKenzie Zwillman, Beacon Correspondent / February 7, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice. There has...

Illustration Rachel Choi

‘Have you seen THE Jacob Elordi edit?’: The rise of TikTok’s fan edit community

By Maggie Kaprielian, Beacon Correspondent / January 31, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice. In a midnight...

Illustration by Rachel Choi.

Astrology should not be a means of explanation

By Ella Duggan, Beacon Staff / December 6, 2023

A few weeks ago, I was browsing through an astrology magazine, mulling over year-old horoscopes and astrological book reviews when I stumbled upon an article...

Illustration by Kellyn Taylor.

Technology is making the younger generation unfit to navigate society

By Sydney Thomas-Arnold, Beacon Correspondent / November 8, 2023

Opinions expressed in Beacon Op-Eds are not necessarily shared by the entire staff. It is the responsibility of Opinion editors to elevate each individual’s...

Illustration by Rachel Choi

Is “boomer music” making a comeback?

By Maggie Kaprielian, Beacon Correspondent / November 1, 2023

Opinions expressed in Beacon Op-Eds are not necessarily shared by the entire staff. It is the responsibility of Opinion editors to elevate each individual’s...

Illustration by Sasha Zirin.

Political extremism is a marketing tactic

By Ella Duggan, Beacon Correspondent / October 18, 2023

These days everybody is doing the most. New products aren’t just new: they’re The Best And Most Exciting Thing You’ve Ever Seen With Your Own Two...

Illustration by Rachel Choi

‘Pick me, choose me, love me’: Why the villainization of pick-me girls is anti-feminist

By Ella Duggan, Beacon Correspondent / October 11, 2023

Is it wrong to want to be loved?  Time and time again I ask myself, is it wrong to want love? It seems like an easy answer: Everyone wants love. So...

Illustration by Rachel Choi

Mitski’s “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” is not sad

By Sydney Thomas-Arnold, Beacon Correspondent / October 11, 2023

Multi-faceted Japanese-American singer-songwriter Mitski recently released her 7th studio album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.” The record...

First place winner Lucy Ellis.

Emerson Poetry Project hosts ‘Box of Doom’

By Olivia LeDuc / April 12, 2023

Students gathered and laughed at TikTok and Tumblr references at Emerson Poetry Project’s biannual “Box of Doom” slam competition Monday evening. Dubbed...

Nessa Barrett rocks Roadrunner

Nessa Barrett rocks Roadrunner

By Clara Faulkner / March 9, 2023

A sea of young adults wearing bedazzled pink cowboy hats and black lace outfits braved the cold outside Boston’s Roadrunner on March 6, eagerly awaiting...

Megan Mitchell as a Good Morning Emerson host in 2013

Emerson Alum, journalist, and viral TikToker: Megan Mitchell does it all

By Emma Bowen and Meg Richards / March 9, 2023

Emerson alum Megan Mitchell has built a wildly successful journalism career off of her TikTok success, bridging the gap between old and new media. She...