Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter as social media platforms are changing social life. Or are they? From cyber bullying to collective action, social media are used and framed in diverse contexts in everyday life. The ubiquity of social media in the news, on television, and on our phones is indicative of their growing importance. This course aims to explore why and how we engage with social media within the broader context of the social world. It will introduce learners to the debates surrounding media technology, society, and social change. Apart from encouraging learners to sample social media, it will also equip them with the necessary critical learning skills to develop a general understanding of social media and their relation to social change. 

Knowledge and Understanding:

• Demonstrate knowledge of key approaches in understanding communication technology and society;
• Demonstrate familiarity with concepts linked to social media;
• Demonstrate analytical skills using the approaches and concepts learned in the module.

Intellectual Skills:

• Appraise and assess sources;
• To reach conclusions about the issues raised in the course, and base these conclusions on sound reasoning.

Discipline Specific (including practical) Skills:

• Close reading;
• analytical skills;
• research skills;
• essay/assignment writing skills.

This course is taught in 10, two-hour sessions, delivered on a weekly basis.  The  module will use the following methods:

• Small group discussions;
• Power Point presentations;
• Viewing of audio-visual materials ;
• Use of Facebook or an email group as an online social learning platform. 

By the end of the module, learners would be able to demonstrate the following:

Academic Skills

• Evaluate the difference between knowledge, information, and data;
• Evaluate the authoritative weight of reading materials;
• Determine the key arguments presented by an author.

Transferable/Employability Skills

• Organise their ideas and present them to an audience;
• Write clear and concise essays;
• Collaborate and work with other learners to complete a required task;
•  Use social media as an online social learning platform.

Week 1: Social Media and You

                        Course requirements and method of assessment

                        The Historical Development of Social Media

                        Introductory key concepts for the course

Week 2:  Perspectives in Understanding Digital Media and Society

                        Technological Determinism

                        Social Construction of Technology

                        Social Shaping of Technology

                        Domestication of technology

Week 3:  Theories on computer-mediated communication (CMC)

                        Social Presence Theory

                        Social Context Cues Theory

                        Media Richness Model

Week 4:  Online Communities

                        Characteristics of online communities

                        Definitions and examples

                        Is there a difference between online and offline communities?

Week 5:  Social Networks

                        Social Networks and Social Networking Sites

                        Definitions and examples

                        Group presentation requirement to be discussed in this week

                        What are the differences between online communities and social networks, if any?

Week 6:  Social Media and Cultural Production

                        How are social media being used for self-expression and self-representation?

                        In what ways do social media shape various aspects of a society’s culture?

                        Privacy, Authenticity, and Participation

Week 7:  The Law and Citizens’ Use of Social Media

                        Freedom of the press, information, and expression

                        Examples where the use of the Internet have been penalised or curtailed

Week 8:  Social Media and the News

                        Community news websites, ‘hyperlocals’

                        Authenticity and Truth

                        Audience as Producers and News Sources

Week 9:  Collective Action and Collaboration

                        Political movements

                        Education and Learning

Week 10:  Conclusion:  Assessing Social Media        

                        Presentations and group discussion