Syllabus
1st week: lecture Digitalized Societies: Course Intro (21. 2.) introduction to the course formal characteristics of the course week by week content discussion of everyday digital media experience with students lecture delivered by Andrea Pruchova Hruzova 2nd week: seminar reading & discussion (28. 2.)
Emilie Munch Gregersen et al. 2023. ´Digital dependence: Online fatigue and coping strategies during the COVID-19 lockdown´. Media, Culture & Society. Vol. 45(5) 967–984
Marie Heřmanová. 2022. ´Politicisation of the Domestic: Populist Narratives About Covid‐19 Among Influencers´. Media and Communication. Vol. 10(4) 180–190. 3rd week: lecture Theory of New Media (6. 3.)
How old are the new media? Convergent culture (H. Jenkins)
The power of Apparatus (V. Flusser)
Principles of new media (L. Manovich)
Algorithm as living subject (P. Brey)
Geology of new media (J. Parikka) lecture delivered by Andrea Průchová Hrůzová 4th week: seminar reading & discussion (13. 3.)
Vilem Flusser. 1983/2000. “The Apparatus” (chapter) in Towards the Philosophy of Photography, 21-32- submission of reading reflection
Mühlhoff, R. (2020). Human-aided artificial intelligence: Or, how to run large computations in human brains? Toward a media sociology of machine learning. New Media & Society, 22(10), 1868-1884 5th week: lecture Identity, Online Environment and Social Networks (20. 3.) impression management instagramism culture of selfie affective turn & affective communication lecture delivered by Andrea Průchová Hrůzová 6th week: seminar reading & discussion (27. 3.)
Michelle Gorea. 2021. ´Becoming Your “Authentic” Self: How Social Media Influences Youth’s Visual Transitions´ Social Media + Society, 1–12.
Mitchell Hobbs, Stephen Owen & Livia Gerber. 2017. “Liquid love? Dating apps, sex, relationships and the digital transformation of intimacy”, Journal of Sociology, 52(2), 271-284 - submission of reading reflection 7th week: lecture Political Movements, Xenorasism & Polarization (3. 4.) digital born movements practices of othering in the online realm hate as an online mobilizing instrument misogyny as an online practice lecture delivered by Linda Coufal & Andrea Průchová Hrůzová 8th week: seminar reading & discussion (10. 4.) & How to Write a Good Academic Essay?
Roza Tsagarousianou. 2023. ´The Datafication of Migrant Bodies and the Enactment of Migrant Subjectivities: Biometric Data, Power and Resistance at the Borders of Europe´. Media, Culture & Society. 1-18. (online first)
Ging, Debbie. 2017. ‘Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere’. Men and Masculinities 22(4):638–57. doi: 10.1177/1097184X17706401.
OPTIONAL 11. 4. Robotic Workshop in National Technical Library (9.00-11.00) 9th week: guest lecture by Martin Tremčinský “(Hidden) Labour in Digital Capitalism” (17. 4.) watch the video essay “Cycles of Labour: In Metaverse, We All Will Be Housewives” 10th week: lecture & discussion Digital Economy (24. 4.) lecture delivered by Maksym Kolomoiets history of online markets developed business models in the modern platform economy platform ecosystems the embeddedness of platforms limits their innovativeness discussion 11th week: 1. 5. National Holiday (essay draft submission) 12th week: 8. 5. National Holiday (essay draft submission) 13th week: seminar consultations of essays (15. 5.) students are meeting in newly established groups based on the choice of the essay´s theme before the consultation: each student submits the title and the goal(s) of the essay & two academic references out of the seminar reading list
Annotation
The course provides an introduction to the sociological understanding of how information and communication technologies shape contemporary societies. The course focuses on social, cultural, political, and economic implications of the diffusion of digital media in late modernity. The lectures provide an overview of the historical development of digital media and discuss various spheres of social life which have been significantly transformed by the presence of digital media: self-presentation, social relationships, political engagement, hate speech, racism, or economy. A focus is given to the politics of social media as well as to the politics through social media. Lectures are accompanied by seminars run in a smaller group of students to allow everyone to engage in discussion through the reflection of reading. The final two weeks of the semester are dedicated to the intense and guided work on a final essay in thematically established groups.
The course has a relationship with the course “Digital Ethnography”. It is highly recommended that students attend the course “Digitalized Societies” FIRST.