Public Spheres are shared, and visible ‘spaces of communication’ wherein citizens discuss, debate and represent issues of concern to society. This module will evaluate the pervasive restructuring of the public sphere in the 21st Century. It will specifically focus on our broad understanding of the theory and politics of ‘the public’ relative to the emergence of digital media. It will assess the theoretical lineage of the concept of the ‘new media’ and relate it to developments across the wider digital society. The module thus contextualises change and continuity in media and their institutions and the broader contexts that have brought digital media into the social sphere. The module will draw on case studies of the myriad ways in which the new media interact with areas of social life changing the conditions for public spheres.
Introduction and Outline Module overview and outline of the theory of the Public Sphere
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Theorising structural transformation 1 Evaluation of the relationship between media and the public sphere and the emergence of the hybrid and ecosystemic dynamics of digital mediation
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Theorising Structural Transformation 2 Consideration of the broader contexts of socio-technical change and the emergence of digital society
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Digital Television and the Public Sphere The reconfiguration of Television as digital media and the political, economic and technological conditions of televisual mediation
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Digital Radio and the Public Sphere Digitalisation, Remediation and new forms of audio consumption
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Social Media and the Public Sphere Social networks: Facebook, Twitter and the politics and economics of Web 2.0
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The Internet as meta-medium Dynamics of Internet development and issues surround net neutrality, surveillance and big data. Alternative strategies and interventions from open source to public service media
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ilm and the Cultural Public Sphere Changing dynamics and scale of film production and the challenges for national film culture and national public spheres
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Digital Truth Change and continuity for public information in ‘Post Truth’ contexts
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Lectures, tutorials, small group discussion, screenings and in-class presentations.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |