Course Syllabus
Virtual Worlds and Social Media |
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| Semester & Location: |
Fall 2024 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Communication, Media Studies |
| Prerequisite(s): |
None |
| Faculty Members: |
Remzi Ates Gürsimsek, (current students please use the Canvas Inbox) |
| Time & Place: |
Tuesdays and Fridays, 11.40-13.00 Location: V10-D11 |
Description of Course
Social interactions have changed dramatically thanks to the communicative possibilities afforded by the Internet. With the advent of social networking platforms, politicians, journalists, artists, corporations, NGOs and people all over the world are recognizing the need for direct and continual dialogue with their friends, consumers, audiences, contributors or voters. In this new world of digital communication, presidential candidates can turn to Snapchat to announce their campaigns and an ice-bucket challenge can crowd-source more than $100m for genetic research in one month. Our person-to-person relationships can also extend into immersive virtual reality. On the one hand, these virtual worlds provide new spaces for people to play, work, learn and create together. On the other, our social relationships are being increasingly dependent on digital data algorithms. These changes have important consequences for both individuals and the society. How do the dating apps influence the dating culture, for instance? Why is TikTok so addictive? Or how does Spotify know your taste in music so well? These new communication platforms also bring new considerations about surveillance, privacy and exploitation. Is our private data being monitored and used by other corporations and government agencies?If so, for what purposes? How does data-driven marketing influence our behaviors as consumers and citizens? In sum, the impact of social media on modern communication requires our critical attention, both as media users and professionals.
In this course, we will explore the world of social media and virtual worlds to discuss the opportunities and challenges of these new social connections, and in general, to critically apprehend the relationship between technology, media and society. We will discuss the usability of various new media platforms by reflecting on theoretical perspectives and concrete cases, both in the Scandinavian context as well as within a globalized world.
The course will give you a chance to improve your own new media communication skills, and allow you to critically reflect on communication and media theories with a hands-on approach. You will work in groups to build an online community on social media. The objectives of this semester-long project are to bring your target audience together for a shared purpose and encourage them to become active participants of the conversation. The final papers will ask you to apply the your theoretical knowledge on your own project to critically analyze the connective potentials of social media and virtual worlds for planned communication.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, you are expected to be able to
- diagnose and analyze the challenges and usability of virtual worlds and social media for individuals, politicians and organizations in their efforts to interact with their contemporaries
- critically respond to these challenges with recommendations for how individuals, politicians and organizations can strategically maneuver virtual worlds and social media
- present and assess the analysis and recommendations using theoretical perspectives and empirical data
Required Readings
The required (and recommended) readings are available on Canvas (check the Syllabus).
The course compendium consists of theoretical articles and case studies, as well as links to various online sites or social media pages based on the week's theme. There are also some recommended readings about most themes, for those who are interested in reading more about a topic.
Click here for an overview of the key theoretical readings throughout the semester, but please check the day’s schedule on Canvas for a complete list. (Click here to download the list as PDF)
Below are a few examples of the readings from this course:
- Bhandari, A., & Bimo, S. (2022). Why’s everyone on TikTok now? The algorithmized self and the future of self-making on social media. Social media+ society, 8(1).
- Botan, C. H. (2021). Strategic Communication Field, Concepts, and the Cocreational Model. The Handbook of Strategic Communication, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Flew, T. (2018). Social media and the cultural and creative industries. The Sage handbook of social media, 512-526.
- Frith, E. (2017). Social media and children's mental health: A review of the evidence, Education Policy Institute
- Fuchs, C. (2014). ‘Facebook: A Surveillance Threat to Privacy?’ in Social Media: A Critical Introduction, SAGE, London, pp. 153-174
- Guess, A. M., & Lyons, B. A. (2020). Misinformation, disinformation, and online propaganda. Social media and democracy: the state of the field, prospects for reform, 10-33.
- Jensen, K.B. (2015). What’s Social About Social Media?, Social Media + Society April-June 2015
- McCay-Peet, L. & Quan-Haase, A. (2018). What is Social Media and What Questions Can Social Media Research Help Us Answer?, In: The SAGE Handbook of Social Media Research Methods
- Siegel, A. A. (2020). Online hate speech. Social Media and Democracy: The State of the Field, Prospects for Reform, 56-88.
- Van Dijck, J. (2013). ‘Engineering sociality in a culture of connectivity’, in The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media, Oxford U. Press, 3-18
Faculty
Remzi Ates Gürsimsek
Ph.D. (Roskilde University, 2012, Sense-making Strategies and User-driven Innovations in Virtual Worlds,), M.Sc. (Istanbul Technical University, 2007, Digital Media and Industrial Design), B.ID. (Middle East Technical University, 2004, Industrial Design). Visiting researcher at the Human-Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute, Stanford University (2011) and Eindhoven University of Technology (2006). In addition to teaching digital communication and performance design studies at the Department of Communication and Arts (Roskilde University). Since 2013, Ates has been a developer and researcher in the interdisciplinary Experience Lab at Roskilde University, researching and developing immersive virtual environments and digitally augmented spaces.
Grading Elements
- Attendance and in-class participation – 15 %
- Leading class discussion – 10 %
- Assignment 1. Audience Research – 10%
- Assignment 2. Strategic Communication Campaign – 15%
- Group semester project and presentation – 25 %
- Final research article – 25%
Participation Includes…
- Attendance in all classes and field studies
- Involvement in class and group discussions
- Involvement in online activities and assignments
- Level of preparation and ability to answer questions asked in class
- Active participation in field studies
Please note:
To be eligible for a passing grade in this class, you must complete all of the assigned work. The work must be handed in no later than the set deadlines. Failure to comply with the deadlines will result in a grade deduction.
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COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:
LEADING CLASS DISCUSSION
- Read the Full Assignment Description / 10% of overall grade
In groups of 2-3, you will lead a theoretically-informed discussion in class by presenting a social media case or phenomenon related to the assigned course readings and asking stimulating questions to your audience. You will not be giving a formal presentation; you will be facilitating a conversation between you and the members of your audience. Feel free to be creative in your approach to this assignment, and make sure you actively engage majority of your classmates.
SOCIAL MEDIA SEMESTER PROJECT & PRESENTATION
- Read the Full Assignment Description / 25% of overall grade
The main purpose of this semester-long group project is to design an online campaign with a specific objective of building a participatory social media community. This campaign will be tailored for a specific target audience and with a clear purpose definition. You will work in small groups to build and manage this online community and try to facilitate meaningful online conversations between study-abroad students (and possibly more).
AUDIENCE RESEARCH
- Research presentation in groups
As a part of your ongoing social media project, this assignment asks you and your project team to conduct a detailed strategic analysis of your target audience. You should aim learn about their habits and attitudes about social media and virtual worlds, as well as your campaign’s vision and identity, and start developing your strategy based on this empirical knowledge of your target audience.
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN
- (pt.1) Digital campaign production in groups + (pt.2) Short essay / 15% of grade
The purpose of this assignment is to initiate a strategic effort to amplify your social media pages' reach and engagement. Our aim is to create a meaningful and engaging experience for the audience while maximizing the impact and effectiveness of the campaign’s content. Your objective is to strategically create “spreadable” content, captivate your audience, and foster vibrant interactions that align with your chosen digital platform(s).
FINAL ARTICLE
- Read the Full Assignment Description / 25% of overall grade
The aim of this final assignment is to analyze and critically evaluate your group project by using the theoretical perspectives about social media and virtual worlds. You should individually compose an article to about your project experience with reference to the course literature. The text should address a professional audience with informed reflections on the psychological-social-cultural effects of our social media use and concluding recommendations for a successful social media communication strategy. In the end, you are expected to present your project, introduce an analytical framework, describe your target audience and discuss strategies for engaging with them.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
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