​Welcome to Binge Thinking. We invite professors and experts to give lectures in bars around Boston, NYC, and DC!

In a world of AI slop, doomscrolling and brainrot, Binge Thinking brings real experts into real places for nights of learning, conversation, and community.

Think Responsibly.

​TOPIC:
Where Are You From? Where Are You REALLY From? Media, Belonging, and Creating Home in Unlikely Places

SPEAKER:
Dr. Azeta Hatef, Emerson College

​"Where are you from?" Easy question, right? Until the follow-up drops: "No, but where are you REALLY from?" Suddenly small talk turns into a full identity pop quiz nobody studied for.

​Here's the plot twist: so much of how we answer that question (and how others ask it) is shaped by media. The shows we binge, the news we scroll, the characters we finally see ourselves in, or never do. Media can make us feel seen, boxed in, or strangely at home in a place we've never even visited.

​In this talk, Dr. Azeta Hatef unpacks how media shapes who we think we are, why being "represented" on screen is more complicated than it looks, and how our screens become a bridge to homes that are far away or passed down through generations.

​Topics include:

​How media and identity shape each other

​Media visibility and the complicated business of representation

​How we connect to distant or ancestral homes through media

​Beyond the screen, this is also a story about belonging.

​Whether you're first-gen, part of a diaspora, or the friend who always gets asked "so what are you?", this one's for you. Home isn't always a pin on a map. Sometimes it's a group chat, a playlist, or a sitcom that finally gets it right.

​This talk explores how we build home in the most unexpected places.

​About the Speaker

​Dr. Azeta Hatef is an Associate Professor of Journalism Studies and Graduate Program Director of Journalism and Media Innovation at Emerson College. She earned her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, her M.A. from Syracuse University, and her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.

​Her research explores identity, belonging, and representation, with a focus on media and Afghanistan. She has studied the global beauty industry and the growth of independent media in Afghanistan, how U.S. news covers Afghan women, and how Afghans are portrayed in American pop culture. She was also a Fulbright Research Scholar in the Czech Republic (2017-2018) and is an award-winning instructor.

​Agenda
7:00 PM - Doors Open (Grab a seat and drinks!)
7:30 PM - Lecture Begins
8:10 PM - Audience Q&A
8:30 PM - Drinks & Conversation
9:00 PM - Event Ends

​Join us and grab a drink as we unpack media, identity, and belonging. So... where are you REALLY from?