The fall 2012 semester has ended

This is the concluding post in this blog for 2012. This blog was used to run a university course completely from a free WordPress.com blog. Fall 2012 was the second time I ran the course this way (the first was in Fall 2010).

If you are curious about this course, please have a look at these links:

• About This Course will give you a brief overview of the purpose of the course.
• Required Work will show you what the students had to do.
• All posts in the Assignments category will show you exactly what students had to produce each week in their individual WordPress.com blogs.
• The first assignment instructed students to set up an individual blog for use in this course.

Most of the readings for this course were taken from academic journals, to which students had access via our university library. To see a full reference list of the readings, view the Readings PDF (2 pages, 78 KB). Some of these will be replaced when I teach the course in the future, but some will be retained.

Social media in China

This story about China’s Weibo and other social media in China aired on National Public Radio (NPR) last week:

How Ordinary Chinese Are Talking and Fighting Back

It’s really interesting!

Remix Redux

Having graded all your remix posts, I would like to share a few video remixes with you.

If you’ve seen more than two Harry Potter movies, you will like this (by Mike Relm):

There is a series of many amusing U.S. TV ads for Old Spice body wash for men. Here is one:

And here is a remix of the sexy Old Spice man (also by Mike Relm):

A huge genre in remix is the anime music video. These usually consist of one pop, rock or techno song with visuals edited together from dozens of different animation episodes. In this example, the anime is American, from the great Nickelodeon series Avatar The Last Airbender:

Last but not least, it can be fun to remix the President:

Enjoy!

Blog post 12: User-generated content, participation, empowerment

Two articles are assigned this week. Read both articles. Find them in the Course Schedule and on Ares.

You’ll read two different approaches to the evaluation of user participation. Jönsson & Örnebring (2011) are looking specifically at news media and public participation in spaces controlled by them. Tacchi (2012) is looking at the role public participation might play in development (meaning in developing countries, which some people still call “third world” countries).

What I want you to do is look closely at the authors’ assumptions about “participation.” That word can mean many things. For example, if I carry a protest sign on the street in a public demonstration, I am certainly participating in that demonstration. If instead I come to the demonstration and stand quietly on the sidewalk, am I participating? Don’t answer that question — but in your blog post, use that kind of thinking when you are making your conclusions.

Content of the post: After reading the two articles, assess and compare what the authors in each article have assumed about participation. This does not mean quoting what they have written. It means you must think about what they meant when they said people are (or are not) “participating.”

These questions should guide your analysis:

1. Do the two articles share the same view(s) about participation? If not, how are they different?
2. What are those views? Can you criticize or refute them? That is, can you argue that these assumptions about participation are naive, or erroneous?
3. If you agree with what the authors describe as “participation,” what do you think about the outcomes or results of such participation? For example, will it bring about meaningful change in society?

This blog post should be a critique of the idea of “participation.” A critique need not be in disagreement; a critique may agree with the text, but it must present reasonable arguments or evidence to support its points.

Your deadline for posting is Monday, Nov. 26, at 9 a.m.

SLUG: The TITLE of your blog post about these articles must begin with the words “UGC and participation.” You can add more words after that if you want to.

If you need any clarification about this assignment, please make a comment on this post. I will answer it here.

Blog post 11: Remix culture

This week’s “reading” is the video documentary RIP: A Remix Manifesto (1 hour 28 minutes) AND a 10-minute TED Talk video. The links are on the Course Schedule page. Watch the both videos and make notes before you begin doing the activity.

This week you are going to make a video. I encourage you to use the grammar and principles of remixing as much as you like.

Please be very careful NOT to use TOO MUCH of someone else’s work. I say this not only because of copyright concerns but also because my motivation is to see you think for yourself. If you are going to quote a big portion of someone else’s words, you are wasting everybody’s time (we could just go to the original — why do we need you to quote for us?). I want to see YOUR ideas and YOUR creativity. Do not use 5 photos from one source — use ONE. Do not use more than 30 seconds from one video — better to use 5 or 10 seconds.

1. I want you to communicate an idea in a video.
2. The idea should not be “what is a remix?” in the general sense. That is, it should not be people or text explaining the idea of remixes.
3. Your video must be NO MORE THAN 5 minutes long. It must be LONGER than 90 seconds.
4. Use any video software you like — iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or the free YouTube video editor (online, no downloads needed) — or any other software.
5. You may speak in your video, but you don’t need to. If you do not speak, however, you must have some text to communicate your idea(s) clearly.
6. DO NOT do a narrated PowerPoint or slideshow. That would not be “in the spirit” of remix culture.
7. DO NOT make us look at you talking to your webcam for a long time. A little is okay.
8. You do not need to make any original video with a camera. But you may do so, if you like!
9. Use AT LEAST THREE “remixed” materials — audio, video, photos, etc. This can be three of one kind (e.g., three videos), but they must come from three different sources!
10. Upload your video to YouTube. If you do not have a YouTube account, create one. (You may delete it after the course is finished.)
11. The video must be posted on your YouTube account, not some other person’s account.

BE CREATIVE!

See student remixes from this course in fall 2010. Some of them are great! Some are less so.

Your deadline for posting is Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m. (Monday is a UF holiday!)

SLUG: The TITLE of your blog post this week must include the word “remix.” Please use additional words to make a sensible title.

Content of the post: Your YouTube video, embedded in the post. Do not simply link to the video. I want the video to play IN your blog post. (Here is how to do it.) Also include a sentence or two to explain your video remix.

If you need any clarification about this assignment, please make a comment on this post. I will answer it here.

Blog post 10: Crowdsourcing

Two articles are assigned this week. Read both articles. Find them in the Course Schedule and on Ares/online.

This week’s assignment is more creative than most — but please be sure to complete the reading before you start writing! When I read your blog post, I expect to have NO DOUBT that you have carefully read both articles.

Content of the post: After reading the two articles, think about a public problem or situation that needs attention. This could be anything that involves taxpayer money — prisons, roads, schools, healthcare, public safety, etc. — but think of something specific, something in which you have a real interest. (A problem in any country is okay to use.)

Then think about how a crowdsourcing project might help to find solutions to the problem. Bring in all the lessons from the two articles, and think about what would motivate different kinds of people, from different backgrounds, to contribute to the project.

Your blog post must meet these requirements:

1. Problem: State clearly and simply what the problem is. (For example: “The state of Florida has cut the budgets of public universities annually for the past six years, for a total 22 percent decrease in funding. As a result, many full-time positions for professors and instructors are vacant because there is no money for salaries — but the number of students is the same as, or even more than, before. How can higher education in Florida maintain high standards without replacing professors who retire or leave for other reasons?” That is a clear problem statement.)
2. Crowdsourcing: Then describe an online site — or rather, an experience online — that would encourage citizens from many different backgrounds to contribute to finding a solution. Be specific. (For example, don’t just say, “They would play a game.”) What’s in it for them? What will motivate them to take time? What will make it fun? Think of the Guardian‘s MP expenses project AND the Next Stop Design project — both very different, and both successful. And remember — neither one of those projects offered any payment!

That’s it! Try your best to think of something that real people would really WANT to do. (Don’t say something lame like “have a discussion forum.” That would not produce any useful results.) Take your time and think, think, think.

Your deadline for posting is Monday, Nov. 5, at 9 a.m.

SLUG: The TITLE of your blog post about these articles must begin with the word “Crowdsourcing.” You can add more words after that if you want to.

If you need any clarification about this assignment, please make a comment on this post. I will answer it here.

Blog post 9: Elections and citizen journalism

Two articles are assigned this week. Read both articles. Find them in the Course Schedule and on Ares.

Ideas about journalism contributing to democracy are not new. Journalism operates differently in different countries, however — even among different countries that are called democracies, and where “free and fair” elections tale place.

Citizen journalism, crowdsourcing, and non-journalists participating in reporting about events — these have added some new discussions to the old ideas about journalists serving as a watchdog over governments and elections. In this week’s articles, you have reports from very different locations: the United States, and 10 African nations.

Content of the post: After reading the two articles, think about the connections between them. In one article, you read about real examples of everyday citizens contributing to reporting, and about collaborations between professional, paid journalists and volunteers from the general public. In the other article, you have the results of a survey. Your task is to compare the information from the two articles and think about the future of elections, how citizens get and use information during the election process, and what possibilities are opened up by new communication technologies. How are elections (and the reporting about them) going to change in all the countries that have elections? How will politics change? Will democracy change?

Discuss your answers to those questions, but stay close to the particulars in the two articles (don’t go off on a generalized tangent). Tie your own points to specific points in the two articles. Try to give equal attention in your post to both articles. Do you find any conflict or contradiction between the two articles?

You can certainly refer to other elections (including the upcoming U.S. election), but make sure you refer specifically to each of the two articles (without a lot of quoting! Quotes do not show your understanding of the article). When I read your blog post, I should have NO DOUBT that you have carefully read both articles completely.

Your deadline for posting is Monday, Oct. 29, at 9 a.m.

SLUG: The TITLE of your blog post about these articles must begin with the words “Elections and citizen journalism.” You can add more words after those if you want to.

If you need any clarification about this assignment, please make a comment on this post. I will answer it here.

Blog post 8: Viral online media

One article and one video are assigned this week. Find them in the Course Schedule and on Ares.

The Kony 2012 video is assigned because it is a good case. If you’re not familiar with that case, also read: ‘KONY 2012′ viral video raises questions about filmmakers (CNN, March 2012).

Read the assigned journal article (and make notes, as always), watch the video, and then give some thought to how the Kony video fits or matches what the article says. Then — find a case in which some media item “went viral” online. It can be any kind of media (video or other). It can be commercial, advertising, news, p.r., or personal.

A fruitful Google search would use keywords such as viral, media, stories. There are MANY cases!

• The case must involve a viral effect on the Internet.
• You must link to (at least) one news article (in English) about your selected case. (The news article is your proof that your case is a good example of “viral online media.”)
• If the original media is not a video, you must link to it.
• If the original media is a video, you must EMBED IT in your post. (See how.)
• The case must not be older than 2007.

Content of the post: Summarize your case, briefly. Provide the headline of the news article, and make that headline a LINK to the article. The news article should be the best one you can find that explains the case you have selected.

Then explain which points in the article by Berger and Milkman (2012) clearly and definitely apply to your case, and which points seem to be missing or even (possibly) the opposite of what happened in your case. If your case contradicts anything said by Berger and Milkman, include your thoughts about that.

 Your deadline for posting is Monday, Oct. 22, at 9 a.m.

SLUG: The TITLE of your blog post about these articles must begin with the words “Viral online media.” You can add more words after those if you want to.

If you need any clarification about this assignment, please make a comment on this post. I will answer it here.

Memes: Photos and other kinds

The two screen grabs above show two separate searches on Google Images. The top set: obama meme. The bottom set: romney meme. This kind of (usually amusing) photo with text is called a meme.

However, the word meme also has a broader, older meaning. I mentioned this in class, but I wanted to try to reinforce it here so you don’t go around thinking that only these funny pictures are memes!

Richard Dawkins, in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, created the word meme. He wrote about human genes as a mechanism that replicates attributes of human beings; he then proposed that there are similar mechanisms (also tiny) that replicate attributes of culture. Of course the culture-replicating mechanisms are not biological — they are more like packets of information. Sayings, bits of a melody, fables and myths, and (of course) visual materials too — all of these can carry memes.

Dawkins called a meme “a unit of cultural transmission.” He said these units “propagate themselves by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation” (p. 192). Through memes, humans have learned to plant seeds, make pottery, write, and do all manner of harmless and harmful things.

And yes, thanks to the way memes can spread like a virus, we have also learned how to paste text onto photos and share them all over the Internet. An Internet meme is just a meme that spreads via the Internet.

There have been many memes in the course of human history, so memes are NOT in any way dependent on the Internet.

Behind China’s “great firewall”

This video was shared in a comment by one of our students in this course this week:

It’s about 18 minutes. Chinese blogger Michael Anti (a k a Jing Zhao) explains very clearly how social media works inside China, behind the “great firewall.” It’s really interesting.