IS30350 The Digital Self

Academic Year 2022/2023

How have emojis and selfies transformed the ways we communicate online? How has social media influencer marketing become central to contemporary digital cultures? How has technology changed the ways in which we date, express ourselves and mediate our identities? These are just some of the questions that will be addressed on this module. Specifically, the class is an exploration of how digital technologies and networked culture are influencing our sense of self and community, from the crafting and presentation of personal identity, to the empowerment of individual voices to create and incite change. The module will discuss digital media and the impacts of social media interactions on representation, self-perception and cultural understandings in society. The module engages with digital media studies scholarship, with an emphasis on exploring what people say on social media, what they do through their digital interactions and how the technology is implicated in the way certain discourses, presentations and cultural views are consolidated in contemporary society.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

-To extend students’ conceptual understanding around digital media communications.
-To provide an in-depth approach to analyzing digitally mediated communication contents and practices.
-To equip students with conceptual and methodological tools to carry out primary research on social media discourses around various aspects of personal and collective identity.
-To introduce students to the mechanics and processes of self-branding and mediated selves that have manifested in the digital age.

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1
Crafting Identities Online

Week 2
Technological Determinism and Digital Selves

Week 3
The Cyborg Manifesto and Self-Curation

Week 4
Selfies, Sexting and Social Media

Week 5
The Goldilocks Effect and Identity Management

Week 6
Dating, Networked Intimacy and Hook-Up Cultures: Agency and Disciplinarity

Week 7
The Digital Self and Political Participation

Week 8
Hashtag Activism and Social Media Activism

Week 9
Feminist and Queer Self-Curation on Digital Media.

Week 10
Digital Self-Portraits and Online Brand Management

Week 11
The Political Economy of the Online “Influencer”

Week 12
One-to-one essay consultations

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

50
Autonomous Student Learning

51
Lectures

24
Total

125
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, Reflective Learning, Engaged and Critical Reading, Class Discussions 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
IS30320 - Current Trends Social Comp


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: 2000-2500 word essay based on the concepts, issues and theoretical frameworks covered over the course of the module. Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

70
Journal: A reading journal that includes short responses to six key readings over the from the first half of the course. Unspecified n/a Graded No

30

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Spring
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 29, 30, 32, 33 Mon 10:00 - 11:50
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 25 Mon 10:00 - 11:50
Spring