Essay Questions
Pick ONE of the following questions:
1) Which are the main arguments and debates in the discussion of the dark and bright sides of the Internet?
2) What are the similarities and differences between todays technologically-enabled and past (non- technological) networks, according to the network society theory?
3) Does networked individualism constitute a new form of individualism or collectivism? Justify your answer by drawing on theoretical arguments and research evidence.
4) To what extent does the Web meet the criteria of a healthy public sphere? Justify your answer.
5) Are creative audiences a mass media or digital media reality? Support your answer with specific examples.
6) To what extent does digital inclusion benefit vulnerable peoples well-being? Discuss critically.
7) Discuss ONE CASE of digitisation and its implications for the society.
8) What are the meaning and importance of platform economies today?
9) Does datafication change society and industry towards the better? If so, how? If not, why?
Key texts for this module
Core Texts
Flew, T. (2014) New Media: An Introduction. 4th Edition. Oxford: OUP.
Tsatsou, P. (2014) Internet studies: Past, Present and Future Directions. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4094- 4641-5.
General Texts
There are a number of excellent introductory texts available. We provide you with some of these, but all are excellent:
Athique, A. (2013) Digital Media and Society: An Introduction. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Lievrouw, L., and Livingstone, S. (2006) The Handbook of New Media (updated student edition). London: Sage. Available as E-book.
Rheingold, H. (2012) Net Smart: How to Thrive Online. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Siapera, E. (2012) Understanding New Media. London: Sage.
Turkle, S. (2011) Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books.
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