Digital Cultures: Comm323

The home base of Simmons College Comm 323 taught by Laura Kopp (@LauraNelson). Thought-starters, relevant bits, and yes: assignments, too.

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10 Real-Life Wins For John Oliver's Longest Segments On 'Last Week Tonight'

The only part of the show we know you watch has (maybe?) done some good in the world.

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Homework - due April 25th

Deck from tonight’s class can be found here. 

This is what’s due (posted to Tumblr or emailed to Laura and me) before class on April 25th. 

Written test plan (up to 5 scenarios, with a few questions for each)

Conduct 5 testing sessions (don’t have to post anything for these but they should be completed)

Written list of “Phase II”, or - what your next steps would be if you continued with this project

Link to your prototype

Be sure to keep working on your final presentations as well. All presentations are to be submitted before class on April 25th (even if you’re not presenting until May 2nd). You may either post it to Tumblr or emailed to both Laura and me.

As always, feel free to email with questions: [email protected]

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Can trust in the news be repaired? Facebook, Craig Newmark, Mozilla and others are spending $14 million to try

A global coalition of tech leaders, academic institutions, nonprofits and funders, including Facebook, Mozilla and Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark, on Monday announced a $14 million initiative to …

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TV feels the heat from Google and Facebook - Digiday

At a time when digital giants Google and Facebook are looking to go head-to-head with TV, TV is starting to clap back.

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Homework, due April 11

Deck from last night’s class can be found here. 

This is what’s due (posted to Tumblr or emailed to both Laura and me) before class on April 11:

Final problem statement 

Research plan, including:

Screener criteria

Research goals

Interview questions

Artifacts of findings

Competitors you’ve identified

Primary persona(s)

Sketches of your idea(s)

Prototype of your idea (higher fidelity)

Feel free to email with any questions: [email protected]

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[on Instagram] Pregnancy today is highly visible, intensely surveilled, marketed as a consumer identity, and feverishly stalked in its celebrity manifestations. This propagates narrow visions of what a “normal” pregnancy or “normal” pregnant woman should be like.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2056305116685108

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https://xkcd.com/1802/ 

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Delight in Your Videos or Risk Being Overlooked, Periscope CEO Says

Kayvon Beykpour, CEO and co-founder of live-video platform Periscope, offered his guidance to anyone creating video in a world crowded with content.

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Homework, ongoing

The lesson from this week’s class can be accessed here. If you haven’t yet finished up your research, please do so. If you’re done with your research, continue working on your final project through the tasks below:

Write:

Demographics

Psychographics

Pain points

Behaviors

Bring to next class:

Everything that you have done so far

Questions? Email me: [email protected]

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Homework, due Tues 3/28

The lesson from this week’s class can be accessed here. Note - if you don’t get all of your research done by next class, that’s ok. Talk to at least a couple of people, it’ll be helpful for next class.

Write: 

Screener

List of demographic or psychographic qualities that your target shares 

Research Plan

3 goals that you want to get out of your research

5+ questions per goal

Determine your research method (likely interviews, but if you want to do another type - go for it!)

Competitor list

3 direct competitors 

1 (at least) indirect competitor

Bring to next class: 

Your screener and research plan

Artifacts from your research (notes, photos, etc. anything created during your research process)

Competitor list

Questions? Email me: [email protected]

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These are the 10 breakthrough technologies you need to know about right now

These technologies all have staying power. They will affect the economy and our politics, improve medicine, or influence our culture. Some are unfolding now; others will take a decade or more to develop. But you should know about all of them right now.

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'Obamacare vs. Trumpcare' proves even healthcare is meme-able

The GOP unveiled their replacement plan for Obamacare on Monday, and many have channeled their skepticism into photo form.

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Homework, due Tues 3/14 (week after spring break)

Read: 

Spreadable Media, Chapter 3 Participatory Culture in a Networked Era, chapter 6, 7

On your tumblr:

- Firm up your problem statement into a single, concise sentence.

- Be sure to include who you suspect may be experiencing the issue, and be clear about what the challenge is (to the best of your ability). Don’t yet include any sense of what the solution may be — this step is to frame up the problem before vetting it with your audience

- If you have multiple problem areas and haven’t yet chosen one, feel free to write a couple problem statements. You can choose which one you’d like to explore when thinking about your research plan.

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Rushkoff talks time.

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FRONTLINE explores how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media - and how big brands are increasingly co-opting young consumers' digital presences.

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Assignment #4 (due 2/28)

Read: Participatory Culture in a Networked Era, chapter 4, 5 Present Shock, Chapter 2

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bqMY82xzWo

Write:

In the sub-chapter Time is a Technology, Rushkoff elaborates the many ways in which time has become increasingly subdivided and carefully measured over the course of human history, citing as examples:

- Calendar - Prayer - Clocks - Church bells - Clock towers - Digital timepieces

How does your relationship with time, schedules, and the recording of life’s events in social media affect your own productivity and quality of life? With regard to the digital revisiting of experience, Rushkoff explains how “time in the digital era is no longer linear but disembodied and associative” (85). What topics from this chapter particularly resonate with your own personal experience?

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Assignment #3 (due 2/21)

Read: 

Spreadable Media, Introduction Participatory Culture in a Networked Era, chapter 2, 3 How Americans Encounter, Recall and Act Upon Digital News, Pew

Spend some time exploring (clicking into):

Neiman Lab’s 2017 predictions for Journalism

Write:

Choose two topics highlighted by the Neiman Lab’s predictions (be sure to click into the topics and read the whole piece). Choose and write about one topic that you think is VERY likely to be part of 2017 landscape of journalism, and write about another topic you think is LESS likely to be critical in the upcoming year. 

blogs should be posted by 2/21 at 5pm.