85302 Social Media Cultures
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Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Description
The internet is 30-something years old, and social media, at least as we currently tend to use it, just over 10 years old. Yet these systems have radically changed how most people around the world spend much of their time. The nature of what it means to be present as a person in society has been, for many people, fundamentally changed in the last decade.
This subject introduces you to a range of ways of critically making sense of the internet and social media. By learning to see social media systems and users as ‘constellations of power relations and institutional entanglements, mediated through technologies’ (Levy, 2015) we can develop more effective design interventions. The focus of the subject is, on the one hand, on the interaction designs that empower digital connectivity, and, on the other hand, the way different cultures are responding to those interaction designs. Though the subject will expose you to a number of critical frameworks through which you will interrogate online cultures, your own experiences using these platforms will be essential to how we, together, make sense of ‘social media cultures.’
This subject combines desk research with collaborative design research. This research will take place in part in the very contexts that you are seeking to critically examine, so you will need to develop strongly reflectively ways of working. Submissions for this subject comprise of a range of designed responses that explore the outcomes of this research.
This subject is the fourth and final Design Studies subject for Fashion and Textile Design, and Visual Communication Design.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Gain a broader understanding of the historical, social, cultural and political factors leading to the increasing presence of digital socio-technical systems in our lives |
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| 2. | Analyse the social, cultural, economic and political implications of/embedded within digital socio-technical systems and develop an accompanying ethical framework |
| 3. | Think critically about the ways people interact and engage with digital technological systems |
| 4. | Connect design research to design generation and development and to be able to explain this |
| 5. | Develop design arguments and rationales through advanced reflective practice |
| 6. | Plan and execute research in a considered and professional manner |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The term CAPRI is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building faculty graduate attribute categories where:
C = communication and groupwork
A = attitudes and values
P = practical and professional
R = research and critique
I = innovation and creativity
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs) are linked to these categories using codes (e.g. C-1, A-3, P-4, etc.).
Teaching and learning strategies
You will prepare for each studio by following the learning guide for your studio. Preparation required may include reading, preparing drawings and concepts, individual and group research and using online resources.
Studios incorporate a range of teaching and learning strategies including forums, discussions, thinking and making exercises and student presentations. These are complemented by guided student reading and research, reflection on studio work, and group and individual project work.
Content (topics)
- Introduction: What is the Internet
- The Big Tech Turn: Deindustrialisation/Postindustrialisation
- The History and Practices of Social Media
- Beyond Social Networks: The Rise of Big Data
- Personhood: from IRL to Profiles
- Influencing, Trolling and Moderating
- Mis- and Dis- information: Navigating Influence in a Post-truth World.
- Algorithmic Policing
- Dark Patterns: Digital Objects in Demand
- Disconnection, Resistance and Alternative Modes of Operation
- Empathetic Interaction Design
- Social Media Futures?
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Digital Self Audit
| Intent: | In this task you will undertake a self-audit of, and intervene in the creation of, your digital footprint and then critically reflect on this process to identify issues of significance. The aim of this task is to research how and when our personal data is collected and subsequently used by internet platforms in order to manipulate our engagement, and then to critically reflect on the issues that arise because of this. To complete this task, (1) you should spend 2 weeks examining your own social media and data creation habits and capture moments in which these are made visible to you by the system. (2) Then spend an additional 2 weeks experimenting with ways of pushing back on the system to provoke a response and learn how the algorithm works. (3) In the final 2 weeks use your new understanding of how the algorithm works to get it to do something you want, that conforms to your values, not the platforms. Data can be captured in a range of forms; screen captures, diarised notes, mined data, drawings and concept maps. Take the time to analyse this data closely: What do you notice about your social media habits? What affects do these platforms have on the way you go about your everyday activities? What kind of persona do online platforms reflect back to you? What gaps are evident between how you see yourself and what online platforms present? What happened when you adjusted the ways you interacted with the online platform? Can you identify aspects of the system that would benefit from a re-design? What socio-cultural implications exist in what you’ve noticed? What values would you like to see reflected in your feed? You should submit a 6-page document that provides an overview of your research activities, including an outline of your approach to data collection & analysis, evidence of salient moments in your data, in particular use graphics and images to present your major insights. In addition, you should write 500 words of critical reflection that explicitly discuss the issues you have identified. Aesthetic consideration should be taken into account when developing the visual presentation of your research. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 3, 4, 5 and 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Social Computing Guide
| Intent: | In this task you will design a social computing guide that will present a critical response to a digital social technology of your choice. In moving beyond a purely human/technology interface understanding of digital social technologies, this task asks you to reflect on online cultures, specific user practices and the role that design and designers can perform in these complex systems. Drawing on insights from design ethnography research, combined with desk research you will critically analyse a digital social technology with regards to its networked power relations. Collaborative work is encouraged, but not required. The aim of this task is to create a guide that communicates novel perspectives about your chosen digital social technology. To do this, you will deconstruct and reflect on your chosen technology, from its material and data components, through to its networked relations and its underlying algorithmic and AI systems. In addition, you should interrogate the existing design decisions that shape the ways in which particular individuals engage with your digital social technology. This task is comprised of two parts involving design research activities to garner insights that will drive the content of your Social Computing Guide. Overall, this task encourages you to develop your design communication skills and, with depth and nuance, tell an impactful story about social media cultures. Possible directions for your Social Computing Guide include: an instruction manual, a parody, a guide for misuse, a guide for resistance, a guide for repair, a guide for speculation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.