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HU Credits:
2
Degree/Cycle:
2nd degree (Master)
Responsible Department:
Communication & Journalism
Semester:
2nd Semester
Teaching Languages:
Hebrew
Campus:
Mt. Scopus
Course/Module Coordinator:
Dr. Yifat Mor
Coordinator Office Hours:
Teaching Staff:
Dr. IFAT MOR
Course/Module description:
The course will review current trends in digital innovation, with an emphasis on communication and social aspects, and will examine them from a critical perspective, adopting relevant perspectives. The course will be delivered in a project-based format in order to allow students to experience, formulate positions, and lead an up-to-date, critical and interesting discussion around the intersection of technology and society. The course will address the relevant players in the digital innovation arena, divided into the following categories:
Users - user experience and behavioral patterns.
Publishers - marketing objectives, digital campaigns, commercial, political, social and community use of social networks.
Platforms - today's internet giants and the characteristics of the platforms they own, and the ways in which they are changing.
Course/Module aims:
The aim of the course is to encourage the students to develop their research skills, critical thinking and creative thinking in the context of global technological trends. Achieving this goal will be examined throughout the semester through hands-on experience with a variety of tasks and projects, and participation in classroom discussions.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the key trends in the field of digital innovation and will know how to critically analyze these trends in light of important issues in the fields of society and communication. During the course, the students will experience research work, ideation, and presentation in front of the class.
Attendance requirements(%):
85
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
Project based learning (both individually and in groups)
Course/Module Content:
Digital behavior, digital advertising, AI, digital platforms and innovations in digital platforms
Required Reading:
1. Introduction and Overview: The Internet and Social Networks on the Timeline - Getting to know the lecturer and the students; familiarization with the unique structure of the course and the grading structure; review of the syllabus and alignment of expectations. Introduction to key events that have shaped the history of the internet and social networks, and an overview of internet usage patterns in Israel for the year 2022.
📖 Reading: Bezeq and KANTAR Internet Report
2. The Actors: What defines the key players in this arena and what are the power dynamics between them? Do end-users have the ability to influence the technology giants, or are they "just products"? Why are advertisers a significant player in their own right? We will review the principles of the "Contract for the Web" and discuss the future of the internet in light of the balance of power.
Instructions for next week's independent assignment: The "Contract for the Web".
📖 Reading:
Lutz, C. (2019). Digital inequalities in the age of artificial intelligence and big data. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 1(2), 141-148.
3. Technology for All? - Introduction to the first perspective - accessibility and representation for diverse populations. In the second half of the class, we will be introduced to the core topics and through a class discussion, try to shed light on interesting issues around the core topics through the lens of "Technology for All".
📖 Reading: The Contract for the Web - World Wide Web Foundation
4. Follow the Money Introduction to the second perspective - economic models and scalability - what is the business model of the popular social networks? What other economic models exist for technological products? How does today's capitalism affect the ability of different technologies to penetrate, the relationships between the players, and the patterns of use that the platforms try to encourage. At the end of the class - division into groups + core topics. Instructions for the group assignment to be submitted in lesson 6 - preliminary presentation of the core topic.
📋 Submission of independent assignment: Summary of a principle from the "Contract for the Web" - up to one page.
5. Individualism and Escapism vs. Community and Political Involvement - Do social networks bring us closer together or push us further apart? We will discuss the role played by the interface, different gatekeepers, and the ability of users to dictate the direction in which technology moves on the axis between individualism and community, and between escapism and political involvement and activism. Class discussion: How can we connect the perspective of connection vs. separation to the different core topics?
📖 Reading:
Dumitrica, D., & Felt, M. (2019). Mediated grassroots collective action: negotiating barriers of digital activism. Information, Communication & Society, 1-17.
6. Presentation of Core Topics - Presentation carousel
📋 Submission of group assignment: 6-minute presentation introducing the core topic chosen by the group - description of the topic, review of the current situation and forecast for the development of the field, presentation of a relevant argument from an academic text, and presentation of the group's position or positions on the topic.
7. Competition vs. Concentration and Enforcement Challenges - Is the communication technology market a monopolistic or duopolistic market? We will discuss the technology giants and the points of intersection in their activities, the effect of their mode of operation on startups and small companies, and the chances of a small or medium-sized company becoming a technology giant in today's market. We will discuss the implications of the weakening of some of these companies on various aspects and different technological arenas, and the ability of states and international organizations to limit monopolistic activity.
*Instructions for the group assignment to be submitted in lesson 10
8. Who Serves Whom? Part A - We will discuss the user experience revolution and the ways in which digital interfaces are adapted to cognitive tendencies in a way that creates addictive usage patterns.
📋 Group assignment in class: Ideation session - through a creative process, each group will identify ways in which, in their opinion, the core topic can be adapted to users in a way that encourages beneficial use and reduces addictive patterns.
9. Who Serves Whom? Part B - In what ways does the question "Who serves whom" take on deep and complex social implications beyond the individual level? Is disconnection the answer, and in what ways can it be manifested? How does the perspective of human-technology relations intersect with the relationship between the individual and society, and also touch on the perspective between individualism and community, and between escapism and involvement.
📖 Reading: Baym, N. K., Wagman, K. B., & Persaud, C. J. (2020). Mindfully Scrolling: Rethinking Facebook After Time Deactivated. Social Media + Society.
10. Presentations
📋 Submission of group assignment: 6-minute presentation that establishes one interesting critical argument around the group's core topic, regarding one of the perspectives presented during the year.
11. Presentations
📋 Submission of group assignment: 6-minute presentation that establishes one interesting critical argument around the group's core topic, regarding one of the perspectives presented during the year.
Additional Reading Material:
Grading Scheme :
Presentation / Poster Presentation / Lecture/ Seminar / Pro-seminar / Research proposal 30 %
Active Participation / Team Assignment 15 %
Submission assignments during the semester: Exercises / Essays / Audits / Reports / Forum / Simulation / others 25 %
Presentation / Poster Presentation / Lecture 30 %
Additional information:
The course will combine frontal teaching with discussions, tasks and presentations delivered by the students as part of group work and individual work. During the first classes of the semester, the groups will be formed and will choose the core topic that will be the focus of the group's work and learning throughout the semester from a list of topics suggested by the lecturer. Alternatively, the group can get approval from the lecturer for a topic that is not on the list. Types of assignments we will experience: short research and writing assignments (data collection and concise presentation of a central topic); presentation of an innovation, feature or application of new technology; defending an argument in a debate format; ideational development of new uses for existing technologies; and more.
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