Handbook

Please Note: This subject has been discontinued and is no longer on offer

Digital technologies and social media applications are developed by researchers, corporations and citizens, regulated by governments, and used as tools by activists. This course focuses on the recent chain of socio-political uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, North America, Asia and Australia to examine the use of new media as a tool for political mobilization in protest platforms in local, regional and transnational contexts. Students in this course will track a number of social issues through case studies to comprehend the differences in representational modes between mainstream, alternative, and social media. Students will also reflect on the extent to which digital activism is empowering or debilitating in a range of contexts.