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introduction_to_social_media [2023/02/03 12:39] ntnsndr [Social Media Histories] |
introduction_to_social_media [2023/12/03 10:17] (current) ntnsndr [Pitch video (25%)] |
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| **MDST 1002** | **MDST 1002** | ||
| - | This course introduces students to network structures and principles, the technology and infrastructures that allow them to flourish, and the cultures that grow up through and around them. It explores how social media enables community, how it assembles and empowers agents of change, and how design informs individual and group behavior. | + | This course introduces students to concepts for better understanding online social media, the technology and infrastructures that allow them to flourish, and the cultures that grow up through and around them. It explores how social media enables community, how it assembles and empowers agents of change, and how design informs individual and group behavior. |
| Students should expect to come away with an enlarged perspective on social media, including the histories, public policies, and global forces shaping the apps and networks widely used today. Projects invite students to apply these insights critically and constructively. | Students should expect to come away with an enlarged perspective on social media, including the histories, public policies, and global forces shaping the apps and networks widely used today. Projects invite students to apply these insights critically and constructively. | ||
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| Quizzes are meant to be taken individually, in class, without referencing external materials. Deviating from these norms will be regarded as a violation of the campus Honor Code. | Quizzes are meant to be taken individually, in class, without referencing external materials. Deviating from these norms will be regarded as a violation of the campus Honor Code. | ||
| - | Students may have one missed quiz automatically voided during the semester. If you need to miss class due to illness, religious observance, or emergency, please inform your TA ahead of time. | + | If you need to miss class due to illness, religious observance, or emergency, please inform your TA ahead of time. All students will have their lowest quiz grade dropped at the end of the course. |
| - | ### Network participation (25%) | + | ### Quests (25%) |
| - | Naturally, we have our own social network. We host, manage, and moderate it ourselves. It is an instance of [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/), an open-source platform designed to interoperate with the broader "fediverse." It can be accessed on the Web or with the many [third-party apps available](https://joinmastodon.org/apps). | + | Each week before class on Tuesday, students should demonstrate their engagement with the reading in discussions on Canvas. This consists of two parts: |
| - | Since our network is ours, we want it to be healthy. Report any concerning behavior with a private message to the instructor or a TA with the hashtag `#report`. If you would like to make a proposal for changing our network rules, please do so with a poll marked `#proposal`. The instructor and TAs reserve the right to veto proposals. | + | * Complete the Quest, which is specified in each week's assignment, in a post to the discussion |
| + | * Comment on at least two other students' Quests with analytic, critical, and respectful responses | ||
| - | Each week before class on Tuesday, students should plan to post their reflections on the assigned materials. These will be evaluated to ensure they include: | + | Posts from a given week will be evaluated to ensure that, collectively, they include: |
| - | * At least 5 substantive posts each week, including (and these can overlap): | + | * Completion of the Quest in a thoughtful and creative fashion |
| - | - At least two quotations from assigned materials with commentary | + | * Constructive contribution to the class discussion in comments |
| - | - At least two replies to other students' posts | + | * Evidence of comprehension of, and engagement with, the assigned materials |
| - | - At least one piece of multimedia (e.g., image, video, audio, poll) | + | |
| - | * Constructive contribution to the class discussion | + | |
| - | * Evidence of comprehension of the assigned materials | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Each week, extra-credit bounties will be distributed to authors of the most successful posts. Criteria will vary as we evaluate the priorities of our shared discussion. | + | |
| + | Each week, extra-credit bounties may be distributed to authors of the most successful posts. Criteria will vary as we evaluate the priorities of our shared discussion. | ||
| ### The missing README (25%) | ### The missing README (25%) | ||
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| Around the midterm, students will produce a README document about a social network—a "missing manual" to introduce a new user to what it is, how to use it, and what to watch out for. A README is an old-fashioned file that comes with software to explain the basics of it. Today, most commercial tools are designed to be used without any documentation. But what do we lose when we don't really understand something before using it? | Around the midterm, students will produce a README document about a social network—a "missing manual" to introduce a new user to what it is, how to use it, and what to watch out for. A README is an old-fashioned file that comes with software to explain the basics of it. Today, most commercial tools are designed to be used without any documentation. But what do we lose when we don't really understand something before using it? | ||
| - | Choose a network from the provided list. Produce a 1,300-1,500 word document, appropriately formatted to appeal to a specific intended audience. Audiences might include parents, younger siblings, a competing business, aspiring influencers, or more. Use of illustrative images is encouraged. Be sure to meet the following evaluation criteria: | + | Choose a network *that you have never regularly used yourself* from the provided list. Try it out, and learn everything you can about it. Produce a 1,300-1,500 word document, appropriately formatted to appeal to a specific intended audience. Audiences might include parents, younger siblings, a competing business, aspiring influencers, or more. Use of creative formatting and illustrative images is encouraged. Be sure to meet the following evaluation criteria: |
| - | * Completion of the assignment with stylistic correctness | + | * Completion of the assignment with stylistic correctness and audience-appropriate design |
| * Explanation of basic use, including affordances and disaffordances | * Explanation of basic use, including affordances and disaffordances | ||
| * Analysis of the network's business model and ownership | * Analysis of the network's business model and ownership | ||
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| ### Pitch video (25%) | ### Pitch video (25%) | ||
| - | The final project for the course is a pitch video. Here, you propose a new social-media network, or an improvement to an existing one. The goal is to put what you've learned to use through constructive thinking. Your pitch should a) identify a problem, supported with evidence; b) propose a solution to it, along with why we should consider it plausible; and c) establish a value proposition for why the most important stakeholders (executives, hackers, investors, activists?) should support it. | + | The final project for the course is a pitch video. Here, you propose a new social-media network, or an improvement to an existing one. The goal is to put what you've learned to use through constructive thinking. Your pitch should: |
| + | |||
| + | * Identify a problem, supported with evidence | ||
| + | * Propose a solution to it, along with why we should consider it plausible | ||
| + | * Establish a value proposition for why the most important stakeholders (executives, hackers, investors, activists?) should support it | ||
| - | Record your pitch as a 5-6 minute video with a clear, concise slide deck. Turn in both the video (a playable link) and the slides (a PDF). Your pitch will be evaluated as follows: | + | Record your pitch as a 5-6 minute video with a clear, concise slide deck. Turn in both the video (a playable link) and the slides (a PDF). Your pitch will be evaluated according to these expectations: |
| * Complete pitch that fulfills the assignment and articulates the problem, solution, and value proposition | * Complete pitch that fulfills the assignment and articulates the problem, solution, and value proposition | ||
| * Elegant, stylistically correct slide deck that illustrates the major points | * Elegant, stylistically correct slide deck that illustrates the major points | ||
| * Originality and plausibility of the proposal | * Originality and plausibility of the proposal | ||
| - | * Evidence of impressive outside research, with at least ten citations---including [[scholarly sources]], journalism, and industry data---correctly cited with APA format in slides | + | * Evidence of impressive outside research, with at least ten sources---including [[scholarly sources]], journalism, and industry data---correctly cited with APA format in slides |
| - | * Thoughtful, explicit engagement with at least one insight from the course textbook and at least two concepts from the textbook | + | * Thoughtful, explicit engagement with at least two concepts from the course textbook that demonstrates comprehension and critical thinking |
| + | |||
| + | Citing sources in APA format involves in-text citation (Author, YEAR) as well as a full reference list (i.e., a bibliography) at the end of your presentation. Consult one of the many guides to APA citations available online. | ||
| ### Grading | ### Grading | ||
| - | If you need an extension on any assignment, consult your TA ahead of time. They are not obligated to grant one. Late work will be penalized as follows: .5 points if Network Participation is late, and 1 point per day on late projects. | + | Grading will carefully follow the expectations stated in this syllabus, as well as the rubrics for each assignment in Canvas. |
| + | |||
| + | If you need an extension on any assignment, consult your TA ahead of time. They are not obligated to grant one. Late work will be penalized as follows: .5 of 3 points if Quests are late, and 5 points per day on late projects. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Plagiarism and similar lapses in [[academic honesty]] can result in no credit for the assignment and referral to campus authorities. | ||
| Based on the stated percentage structure, grades will be awarded as follows: A (94-100), A- (90-93), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59). The minimum passing grade is 60. | Based on the stated percentage structure, grades will be awarded as follows: A (94-100), A- (90-93), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59). The minimum passing grade is 60. | ||
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| Together, we agree to: | Together, we agree to: | ||
| - | * Work together to foster a respectful, mature, convivial community based on mutual learning through our diverse perspectives | + | * Work together to foster a respectful, mature, convivial community based on mutual learning through our diverse perspectives, following basic standards of [[class etiquette]] |
| + | * Be present in our interactions together in class, refraining from the use of [[screen devices]] unless for collective work, documented accommodations, or quiz-taking | ||
| * Respect student privacy, keeping any materials or statements shared in class confidential unless permission is granted to do otherwise | * Respect student privacy, keeping any materials or statements shared in class confidential unless permission is granted to do otherwise | ||
| * Adhere to all [[university policies]] regarding academic integrity, accessibility, behavior, discrimination, misconduct, inclusivity, and religious observances; we take responsibility for understanding them and the relevant procedures | * Adhere to all [[university policies]] regarding academic integrity, accessibility, behavior, discrimination, misconduct, inclusivity, and religious observances; we take responsibility for understanding them and the relevant procedures | ||
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| Assignments include all content on the linked pages, including the self-quizzes and "related content." | Assignments include all content on the linked pages, including the self-quizzes and "related content." | ||
| - | For extra credit, students may propose corrections or improvements to the textbook. Each substantive improvement is worth one point of course credit, up to a maximum of three per student. Submit proposals to the instructor. | + | For extra credit, students may propose corrections or improvements to the textbook. Each substantive improvement is worth one point of course credit, up to a maximum of three per student. Submit proposals in the dedicated assignment on Canvas. |
| Each week additionally includes an "Artifact"—a primary source that we will examine, dissect, and reflect upon. Some Artifacts are fairly extensive, and you're expected to explore as you like, not necessarily to study the whole thing. | Each week additionally includes an "Artifact"—a primary source that we will examine, dissect, and reflect upon. Some Artifacts are fairly extensive, and you're expected to explore as you like, not necessarily to study the whole thing. | ||
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| ### Log-in | ### Log-in | ||
| - | _Humans_: "[Preface: About this 'Book,'](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsm/front-matter/preface-about-this-book/)" "[Introduction](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/front-matter/introduction/)" | + | _Humans_: "[Preface: About this 'Book,'](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/front-matter/preface-about-this-book/)" "[Introduction](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/front-matter/introduction/)" |
| - | + | ||
| - | Artifact: Darius Kazemi, "[Run Your Own Social](https://runyourown.social/)" (July 8, 2019) | + | |
| + | Artifact: bell hooks, "[Homeplace: A Site of Resistance](https://files.libcom.org/files/hooks-reading-1.pdf)," in _Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics_ (South End Press, 1990) | ||
| ### Identity | ### Identity | ||
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| Artifact: Angela Washko, "[Performance for Multi-User Online Environments (Before COVID-19)](https://performingonline.tumblr.com/)" (2020) | Artifact: Angela Washko, "[Performance for Multi-User Online Environments (Before COVID-19)](https://performingonline.tumblr.com/)" (2020) | ||
| + | Quest: Produce an audio, video, or textual testimony about how social media has (or has not) shaped your sense of your own identity; follow the format of the student testimonies in the textbook | ||
| ### Old to New Media | ### Old to New Media | ||
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| Artifact: Ted Nelson, _[Computer Lib/Dream Machines](https://archive.org/details/computer-lib-dream-machines/page/n131/mode/2up)_ (1974) | Artifact: Ted Nelson, _[Computer Lib/Dream Machines](https://archive.org/details/computer-lib-dream-machines/page/n131/mode/2up)_ (1974) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Quest: Use a piece of pre-Internet social-media technology and provide a report on the experience | ||
| ### Social Media Histories | ### Social Media Histories | ||
| - | Judy Malloy, "[The Origins of Social Media](https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucb/reader.action?docID=4648372&ppg=21)," pp. 3-33, in Judy Malloy (ed.), _Social Media Archaeology and Poetics_ (MIT Press, 2016) [campus network access required] | + | Judy Malloy, "[The Origins of Social Media](https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucb/reader.action?docID=4648372&ppg=21)," **pp. 3-33**, in Judy Malloy (ed.), _Social Media Archaeology and Poetics_ (MIT Press, 2016) [campus network access required] |
| Artifact: [First Versions: Internet](https://www.firstversions.com/search/label/Internet) | Artifact: [First Versions: Internet](https://www.firstversions.com/search/label/Internet) | ||
| + | Quest: Create a timeline of major events in your relationship with social media | ||
| ### Privacy and Publics | ### Privacy and Publics | ||
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| Artifact: [Civic Signals](https://newpublic.org/signals) (2021) | Artifact: [Civic Signals](https://newpublic.org/signals) (2021) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Quest: Propose a new social network designed to mimic behavior in an offline social space (e.g., a post office, a public pool, a playground) | ||
| ### Social Networks and Online Communities | ### Social Networks and Online Communities | ||
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| Artifact: "[How Black Twitter and other social media communities interact with mainstream news](https://knightfoundation.org/features/twittermedia/)" (Knight Foundation, 2018) | Artifact: "[How Black Twitter and other social media communities interact with mainstream news](https://knightfoundation.org/features/twittermedia/)" (Knight Foundation, 2018) | ||
| + | Quest: Introduce us to an online community that you know well, explaining its various elements and dynamics | ||
| ### Algorithms | ### Algorithms | ||
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| Artifact: Shalini Kantayya (dir.), _[Coded Bias](https://colorado.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Coded+Bias/1_vqk573fg/107413122)_ (2020) | Artifact: Shalini Kantayya (dir.), _[Coded Bias](https://colorado.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Coded+Bias/1_vqk573fg/107413122)_ (2020) | ||
| + | Quest: Describe, in as much detail as you can, an algorithm that you encounter or use in your daily life---or one that you want to exist | ||
| ### Regulation | ### Regulation | ||
| - | Jeff Kosseff, "[A User's Guide to Section 230, and a Legislator's Guide to Amending It (or Not)](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3905347)," **introduction and section 1**, _Berkeley Technology Law Journal_ 37, no. 2 (2022) | + | Jeff Kosseff, "[A User's Guide to Section 230, and a Legislator's Guide to Amending It (or Not)](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3905347)," **sections I-II**, _Berkeley Technology Law Journal_ 37, no. 2 (2022) |
| - | Artifact: "[Provisions on the Administration of Internet Information Service Algorithm Recommendations](https://www-cac-gov-cn.translate.goog/2022-01/04/c_1642894606364259.htm?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp)," Cyberspace Administration of China (January 4, 2022) | + | Artifact: "[Provisions on the Administration of Internet Information Service Algorithm Recommendations](https://www-cac-gov-cn.translate.goog/2022-01/04/c_1642894606364259.htm?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp)," Cyberspace Administration of China (January 4, 2022) **[Not working anymore! [Review this instead](https://www.lw.com/en/admin/upload/SiteAttachments/Chinas-New-AI-Regulations.pdf).]** |
| + | Quest: Devise a law that would improve social-media regulation, explaining its rationale, how it would be enforced, and what new problems it might cause | ||
| ### Equity | ### Equity | ||
| - | _Humans_: "[Equity](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/equity/)," "[Online Activism in Indigenous Languages](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/online-activism-in-indigenous-languages/)" | + | _Humans_: "[Equity](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/equity/)," "[#metoo and Twitter: The Feminist Movement on Social Media](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/special-topics-me-too/)" |
| Artifact: [Feminist Principles for the Internet](https://feministinternet.org/) (2016) | Artifact: [Feminist Principles for the Internet](https://feministinternet.org/) (2016) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Quest: Propose a manifesto of principles that you believe would make the Internet more just | ||
| ### Activism | ### Activism | ||
| - | _Humans_: "[Activism](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/ch-6-activism/)," "[#metoo and Twitter: The Feminist Movement on Social Media](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/special-topics-me-too/)" | + | _Humans_: "[Activism](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/ch-6-activism/)," "[Online Activism in Indigenous Languages](https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/online-activism-in-indigenous-languages/)" |
| Artifact: HK19 Manual, [part 1](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZrIiXypVUvPIRs9JG8AsU55FkLsz81pqZstKQcbsAHc/mobilebasic) and [part 2](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UROUN37_gUqrDd4FYDFYXQAmYuXtsBAfaDLo47Im-Kk/edit#) (2019) | Artifact: HK19 Manual, [part 1](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZrIiXypVUvPIRs9JG8AsU55FkLsz81pqZstKQcbsAHc/mobilebasic) and [part 2](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UROUN37_gUqrDd4FYDFYXQAmYuXtsBAfaDLo47Im-Kk/edit#) (2019) | ||
| + | Quest: Outline an original social-media activist campaign to achieve a desired social purpose; explain the goal, the tactics, and their expected effects | ||
| ### The Splinternet | ### The Splinternet | ||
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| Artifact: _[Rest of World](https://restofworld.org/)_ and Timothy B. Lee, "[40 Maps That Explain the Internet](https://www.vox.com/a/internet-maps)," _Vox_ (June 2, 2014) | Artifact: _[Rest of World](https://restofworld.org/)_ and Timothy B. Lee, "[40 Maps That Explain the Internet](https://www.vox.com/a/internet-maps)," _Vox_ (June 2, 2014) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Quest: Choose a story in _Rest of World_ about a country outside the United States, and explain how the Internet might work differently in that country than it does here | ||
| ### Memes | ### Memes | ||
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| Artifact: [Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/) | Artifact: [Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Quest: Create a piece of media designed to spread, and explain why you think it will | ||
| ### Information | ### Information | ||
| Line 194: | Line 217: | ||
| Artifact: _[The Media Manipulation Casebook](https://mediamanipulation.org/)_ | Artifact: _[The Media Manipulation Casebook](https://mediamanipulation.org/)_ | ||
| + | |||
| + | Quest: Choose a case from _The Media Manipulation Casebook_ and devise a technological or social countermeasure that could defeat it | ||
| ### Well-Being | ### Well-Being | ||
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| Artifact: Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge, "[Social Media and Mental Health: A Collaborative Review](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w-HOfseF2wF9YIpXwUUtP65-olnkPyWcgF5BiAtBEy0/edit)" (ongoing) | Artifact: Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge, "[Social Media and Mental Health: A Collaborative Review](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w-HOfseF2wF9YIpXwUUtP65-olnkPyWcgF5BiAtBEy0/edit)" (ongoing) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Quest: Design a set of rules for a social-media network for kids | ||
| ### Our Transformed Selves | ### Our Transformed Selves | ||
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| Artifact: Werner Herzog (dir.), _[Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World](https://archive.org/details/loandbehold_202001)_ (2016) | Artifact: Werner Herzog (dir.), _[Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World](https://archive.org/details/loandbehold_202001)_ (2016) | ||
| + | Quest: None---focus on your pitches! | ||
| --- | --- | ||
| [ [[note:introduction_to_social_media|Notes]] ] | [ [[note:introduction_to_social_media|Notes]] ] | ||