Base Knowledge
N/A
Teaching Methodologies
It will be used in this curricular unit an expository methodology, taking as its starting point the theoretical foundations of the discipline. This methodology will be complemented by the illustration of the theoretical principles from the use of empirical data. Use will be made of recent scientific articles that demonstrate the applicability of the theory to concrete situations.
Learning Results
At the end of the curricular unit, students should be able to:
Critically understand new media as sociocultural and technological phenomena, contextualizing them in contemporary theoretical paradigms.
Analyze the impacts of new media on society, including issues of power, inequality, participation and exclusion.
Identify and evaluate dominant and alternative narratives in new media, exploring the role of framing and algorithmic curation.
Develop a critical view of the intersection between new media and themes such as identity, privacy, surveillance and democracy.
Propose theoretical or practical approaches that challenge dominant structures in new media.
Program
1. Theoretical Foundations of Critical Media Studies
Frankfurt School and criticism of the cultural industry.
The digital turn: ruptures and continuities in critical paradigms.
2. Key Concepts for New Media
Algorithms and the logic of digital curation.
Communication and identity in social networks.
3. New Media and Power
Power structures in the digital age: platforms, corporations and states.
Surveillance and data capitalism.
4. Narratives, Framing and Digital Scheduling
Fake news, misinformation and information bubbles.
Algorithmic scheduling and its democratic implications.
5. Media, Society and Digital Exclusion
Inclusion and exclusion in access and use of new media.
Representations of gender, race and class in the digital sphere.
6. Methodological Approaches and Critical Projects
Qualitative and quantitative methods for critical analysis of new media.
Development of critical applied projects (e.g. alternative media, digital counter-narratives).
Case studies.
Grading Methods
- - Exam - 100.0%
- - Written test - 50.0%
- - Practical work - 50.0%
Internship(s)
NAO
Bibliography
BAYM, N. K., Personal Connections in the Digital Age, Polity Press, 2010.
BOYD, D., É Complicado, As vidas sociais dos adolescentes em rede, Lisboa, Relógio d’Água, 2015.
CARDOSO, G., Os Media na Sociedade em Rede (2ª ed.), Lisboa, Gulbenkian, 2014.
FERREIRA, G. B., Comunicação, Media e Identidade, Lisboa, Colibri, 2009.
FERREIRA, G. B., Sociologia dos Novos Media, Covilhã, Labcom, 2018.
FUCHS, C. Social Media, a critical introdution, SAGE, 2014.
Han, Byung-Chul (2022). Infocracia: a Digitalização e a Crise da Democracia. Lisboa: Relógio d’Água.
TURKLE, S., Alone Together, New York, Basic Books, 2011.