TH1102

From viral memes to ‘fake news,’ from video-gaming to vlogging, our rapidly changing media-scape is at the center of public debates about everything from mental health to the future of democracy. This course engages with these debates to understand the power of new media to shape our identities and values, our cultural habits and communities, our economy and political life. We discuss how we “perform ourselves” through media, giving rise to social anxieties about truth, authenticity, equality, and belonging, but also to tremendous opportunities for self-expression and connection. And we investigate how our performances are monetized or instrumentalized by governments, social movements, or corporations. How did our current media system develop, and whose interests has it served? How, for better or worse, has the social media age changed us and the world we live in? And how can we make sure that in the future that change is for the better?