This course takes a critical approach to understanding new media environments, especially with regard to what has been called at various moments “social media,” “participatory culture,” “digital media,” “convergence,” “Web 2.0,” “social web,” and “interactive media” among other things.   Rather than focus on these emerging media practices as purely technological phenomena, the course situates them in broader social, political, and historical contexts. We will examine key dimensions of cultural life that make up our selves, including friendship, intimacy, labor, celebrity, power, gender, control, race, sexuality, activism, and privacy.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of approaches to, and debates surrounding, the emergence of social media and convergence in society.
• Describe the implications of social media on social interactions and political participation.