Word count:1000words
Purpose:The purpose of this assignment is to learn how to explain contemporary media challenges; how to communicate coherent and persuasive argument, and how to critically reflect on media themes.
Task:An individual 1000-word learning reflection that makes links between lectures, readings, individual assignments, and activities; reflects on contribution to individual learning.
A summary of unit content, themes and connections will be provided in our tutorials.
Information about how to write a learning reflection will be provided in the Week 10 lecture (and also in the tutorials).
Presentation requirements: Uses a reflexive, academic writing-style, with APA referencing style.
Criteria for marking:
- Make good links between lecture topics, readings, tutorials, online sessions, and knowledge gained in our Unit
- Reflect on contribution to participation and assignment/project outcomes
- Use of language is good with appropriate use of vocabulary and concise and clear expression of ideas
- Well-structured reflection with evidence of proofreading and attention to detail
- Correct use of APA referencing style.
WEEK/ CONTENT · Week 2: Social Media, Online Privacy, and Surveillance · · Week 3: Media and Climate Change · · Week 4: Fake News and Alternative Facts · · Week 5: Artificial Intelligence and Automated Media · · Week 6: Cultural Diversity, Gender, and Media Policy · · Week 7: Media Power and Media Framing · · Week 8: Social Media Platforms and Content Moderation · · Week 9: Non-Verbal Communication CORE PROBLEMS/ CHALLENGES: · Privacy · Climate change/action/policy · Fake news and alternative facts · Artificial intelligence/ Commercial advertisements · Billionaires (Musk/twitter etc.,) · Representation · Biological differences · Media ownership · Promotion of unhealthy body-types · Priviledge · Capitalism/ Market practises · Manufacturing consent (war) · Fake news (conspiracy) · Language/ Framing (racism, sexism etc.,) · Propaganda · Filter bubbles/ algorithms of oppression · Stereotypes · Cognitive Bias See if you can make any connections Pick 2 weeks, one problem, one example: · Week 6 and Week 8 (content moderation– should these images be taken down? Who is the target audience), media framing/stereotypes, pro Ana/ eating disorder content. · Week 4 (Fake News and Alternative Facts) and Week 8 (Social Media Platforms and Content Moderation) · Information disorder: we need to understand what people are sharing and why they are sharing that information (Week 4) and are they allowed to post what they are saying across social media and, is the group that they are in being represented valid? (Week 8) · Problem: what if we don’t understand the media content that isn’t allowed on a specific social media platform and we don’t know the power of the platform, how will we know if it is valid or why it is on this specific platform? · Evidence: Trump’s election and Tweets Unit concepts Media Challenges ATS1206 Week Weekly topic Concepts Tutorial Readings & resources 1 Introductions · Critical thinking · Culture industry (Adorno) · Cultivation theory (Gerbner) · Agenda-setting theory · Audiences (Livingstone) · Welcome & introductions · Conflict styles · Unit overview Liu, S, Volcic, Z & Gallois, C 2019, ‘Mass Media and Cultural Change’, pp. 291-313 in Introducing Intercultural Communications: Global Cultures and Contexts, Sage, Los Angeles. Livingstone, S 2010, ‘Media Consumption and Public Connection’, pp. 42-56 in N Couldry, S Livingstone & T Markham (eds), Media Consumption and Public Engagement Beyond the Presumption of Attention, Palgrave, London. 2 Privacy & surveillance · Privacy · Surveillance capitalism (Zuboff) · Google yourself · Short film: "Harvest" on GPS tracking · ePortfolio introduction Richardson, M 2016, 'The fate of 'privacy' in an automated society', Pandora's Box, pp. 75-81. Zuboff, S 2019, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, Profile Books, London. 3 Climate change · Non-persuasive communication · News clips about the floods: ABC, Business Insider · Media texts about climate change · Greenwashing Jensen, KB 2017, 'Speaking of the weather: Cross-media communication and climate change', Convergence, vol. 23, no, 4, pp. 439-454. 4 Fake news · Fake news · Fact checking · Information disorder · Cognitive biases · Fact checking · Information disorder · Get Fake News game · Cognitive biases Phillips, W 2019, 'The Toxins We Carry', Columbia Journalism Review, https://www.cjr.org/special_report/truth-pollution-disinformation.php. Wardle, C & Derakhshan, H 2017, ‘Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policymaking’, Council of Europe, https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-researc/168076277c. 5 AI & automated media · The logic of automation · Algorithmic bias · Algorithms of oppression · Filter bubbles · What’s in your filter bubble? · Algorithms of Oppression and Google autocomplete · Fact check practice Pariser, E 2011, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You, Penguin Press, New York. Andrejevic, M & Volcic, Z 2019, ‘From Mass to Automated Media: Revisiting the Filter Bubble’, pp. 17-33 in N Witzleb, M Paterson & J Richardson (eds), Big Data, Political Campaigning and The Law: Democracy and Privacy in the Age of Micro-Targeting, Routledge, London. 6 Cultural diversity · Representation · Intersectionality · Media advocacy · Women in media production · Cultural politics of TikTok creators · Stella Young on the social model of disability Harvey, A 2020, 'Representing Gender, pp. 58-83 in Feminist Media Studies, Polity, Cambridge. 7 Media power & media framing · Media power · Media framing · Media effects · Second-hand worlds (C Wright Mills) · Pre-break reflection · Media framing: Jane Gilmore’s Fixed It, and Our Watch Entman, RM 1993, 'Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm', Journal of Communication, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 51-58. 8 Content moderation · Platform power · Free speech · Platform stakeholders · Delete or Allow? · Elon Musk bought Twitter Gillespie, T 2010, ‘The Politics of ‘Platforms’’, New Media & Society, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 347-364. Roberts, ST 2019, Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media, Yale University Press, New Haven. 9 Nonverbal communication · Kinesics (gestures) · Prosemics (use of space) · Haptics (touch) · Paralangauge (vocal qualities & vocalisations) · Chronemics (use of time) · Revision of key terms: kinesics, prosemics, haptics, paralanguage · Examples of non-verbal communication · Images of politicians and power Liu, S, Volcic, Z & Gallois, C 2019, ‘Nonverbal Communication and Culture’, in Introducing Intercultural Communications: Global Cultures and Contexts, Sage, Los Angeles. 10 Reflective writing · The four Rs of reflection (report, relate, reason, reconstruct) · Things Done Well · Unit concept map · Reflective writing with the four Rs Ryan, M & Ryan, M 2012, ‘Developing a systematic, cross-faculty approach to teaching and assessing reflection in higher education’, Australian Learning & Teaching Council, https://ltr.edu.au/resources/PP9_1327_Ryan_report_2012.pdf. 11 Professional writing · Narrative · Rhetoric, context & purpose