Social media and digital technologies

Družbeni mediji in digitalne tehnologije

Course credits:

6.00 ECTS / 60 (30 hours of lectures, 0 hours of exercises, 30 hours of seminars, 0 hours other forms of work)

Course holder:

prof. dr. Gregor Petrič

Lecturers:

• Asst. Prof. Sara Atanasova
• Assoc. Prof. Andraž Petrovčič

Type:

Required

Language:

English

Semester:

First semester

Study degree

1. level

Course execution:

• Undergraduate Programme of Cultural studies - Studies of Culture and Creativity
• Undergraduate Programme of Social Informatics

Prerequisits:

Students are allowed to participate in the course provided that they have completed the enrolment procedure.

Objectives and competences

The primary goal of the course is to give students knowledge about conceptualizations, typologies and characteristics of social media and related digital technologies. Students learn how social world changes in relation to the consequences of participation and collaboration in/through social media. Special emphasis is put on analysis of various aspects of transformations of social interactions that change with participation in contemporary web and mobile digital platforms and link various spaces of social action. On the basis of gained knowledge and the uses of social media students gain the following competences: 1. Knowledge about definitions, classifications and key characteristics of social media and digital technologies. 2. Sociological understanding of social media and social change from the individual, group and organizational perspectives. 3. Skills of using social media for collaboration, data collection and analysis. 4. Cultivation of digital literacy for smart uses of social media (reading, writing, group interaction, video production…).

Content (Syllabus outline)

The course is designed to equip students with critical insight into theories and research approaches, which are focused on social, psychological and interactional aspects of the development, uses and consequences of social media and digital technologies. The course includes the following content: 1. Definitions, typologies and characteristics of social medial and digital technology; Emergence, development and critics of sociability evolution from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0. 2. Wider socio-cultural context of the formation and the role of social media in contemporary society. 3. Participation and collaboration in social media, social interactions, collective actions, social capital, self-representation and networked self. 4. Social media, activism, polarization of opinions and democratic discussions. 5. Practical tools for participation in social media, tools for collecting and analyzing data from social media. 6. Legal and ethical aspects of engagement and usage of social media in relation to privacy. 7. A choice of relevant questions related to the role of social media in economy, politics and everyday life.

Intended learning outcomes:

Through coordinated learning of theoretical contents and practical exercises in the course, the following intended learning outcomes are expected: 1. Knowledge: • defining, examining, finding, presenting, recognizing and arranging social media and digital technologies and differentiating its key characteristics; • examining and recognizing sociological aspects of participation in social media and its consequences on individuals and organizations; • recognizing ethical aspects of participation in social media. 2. Comprehension: classification, contrasting, distinguishing, showing and identifying various sociological and socio-psychological aspects of the role of social media in everyday life and organizational environment. 3. Application: experimenting, applying, preparing and planning creative practices/actions in social media and tools for its analysis. 4. Analysis: investigating, sub-dividing, examining and connecting collected data of social media with theoretical ideas.

Learning and teaching methods:

Lectures, seminars, individual and group work, public speaking, group work with professors, project work, individual consultations, e-learning.

Assessment

The final grade for academic record is based on the final exam or two mid-term exams and two written assignments.

Obligatory literature

Additional literature