Courses / Module

More and more of us are leading digital lives, but because the internet is a global phenomenon it can carry a series of assumptions regarding how it is used or who it is for. In this seminar we will consider digital media in diverse socio-political and cultural contexts to explore how individual, group and institutional interactions are increasingly mediated by these technologies. Are ideas and norms regarding human interaction changing? In Part One of this module we will focus on themes such as the presentation of self in online fora, ideas surrounding the internet and privacy, the encroachment of commercial interests in branding and advertising on digital media. In Part Two we will consider these topics through a close reading of ethnographic examples including Filipina migrants in the UK, hashtag activists in the United States, digital migration in urban China, display and disguise in mobile phone use amongst young Mozambicans and smartphone use among older adults in Ireland. Student and attendance and participation is required in all sessions.