On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

- describe the focus of critical theories about media communication in general and social media in specific (1)
- give examples of the difference between critical theory and other theoretical perspectives for explaining concepts and phenomena related to media in the digital age (2)

- demonstrate skills in theoretical and conceptual comparisons (3)
- demonstrate the ability to formulate a research problem relevant to the theme of the course and present a theoretically grounded analysis of this (4)
- use critical theories to discuss participation, power and (in)equality in relation to media in the digital age (5)

- problematise questions related to participation, power and (in)equality in the digital age (6)
- critically assess different aspects connected to media in the digital age in terms of potentials and limits for a socially sustainable society (7)

This course is aimed at a critical examination of the potentials and limits for a socially sustainable society arising in the digital age. As technologies and political economies are evolving rapidly the processes of media production are redefined across various contexts. Departing from Critical Theory the course covers:

• The role of media communication, as means of ideology, exploitation and potential means of liberation and struggle
• New media and technology in relation to societal structures and power
• Participation, power and inequality; how media and communication is and can be related to sustainability in our digital age

Learning activities consist of independent readings, lectures, seminars and of an individual written assignment based on an independently formulated question in relation to the course theme.

An e-learning platform is used.

Students who have been admitted to and registered for a course have the right to receive instruction/supervision for the duration of the time period specified for the particular course to which they were accepted. After that, the right to receive instruction/supervision expires.

Undervisningen bedrivs på engelska.

The applicant must hold the minimum of a bachelor's degree (i.e. the equivalent of 180 ECTS credits at an accredited university) with at least 90 credits in media and communication studies or social studies including independent, theoretical based work, i.e. a thesis or the equivalent. English 6/English B in the Swedish upper secondary school system or international equivalent.

Kursen bedöms med betygen A, B, C, D, E, FX eller F.

The grades A, B, C, D and E are all passing grades. The students are given a final grade based on an overall assessment of all the elements included in the course and guided by the grade for the individual assignment. The final grade of the course is issued only when all elements of examination have been passed.

The examination is based on instruction and course literature.

The examination must allow for students to be assessed on an individual basis. Further information concerning assessment of specific intended learning outcomes and grading criteria is provided in a study guide distributed at the beginning of the course.

Students are guaranteed a minimum of three attempts to pass an examination, including the regular attempt.

If a student has failed the same examination three times, the student is entitled to request that the next examination be assessed and graded by a new examiner. The decision to accept or reject such a request is made by the vice dean of education. A student may not make a second attempt at any examination already passed in order to receive a higher grade.

In case a course is terminated or significantly altered, examination according to the earlier syllabus shall be offered on at least two occasions in the course of one year after the termination/alteration.


The course is examined through:
- Seminar 1: The critical outlook, an introduction to a critical perspective on media in the digital age (learning outcomes 1, 2 and 7)
- Seminar 2: Participation in the digital age – what does participation mean and who is participating? (learning outcomes 2, 3, 5 and 7)
- Individual written assignment (learning outcomes 4, 5, 6 and 7)

The final grade equals the grade received for the majority of the course credits (the individual written assignment).

The?examiner?has?the?right?to?give?an?adapted?examination?or?or let the student carry out the examination in an alternative way provided that the intended learning outcomes can be secured and that there are exceptional reasons for this, including the student's right to targeted study support.

Examinationsmoment	Omfattning	Betyg
Seminarium 1	1,5 hp	U/G
Seminarium 2	1,5 hp	U/G
Individuell skriftlig inlämningsuppgift	4,5 hp	A/B/C/D/E/FX/F

The instruction is followed up throughout the course. A course evaluation is conducted at the end of the course. A summary and comments are published in the learning management system. The evaluation constitutes a basis for future improvements to the course.

Andrejevic, Mark (2008). Watching television without pity: the productivity of online fans. Television & New Media, 9(1):24-46. 22 pages.

Berglez, Peter (2018). Smileys Without Borders: A Critique of Transboundary Interaction between Politicians, Journalists and PR practitioners on Social Media. TripleC 16(1): 18-34. 16 pages.

Fuchs, Christian (2021). Social media: a critical introduction. (Third edition). Los Angeles: Sage.

Jenkins, Henry (2008). Convergence Culture. New York: New York University Press. 368 pages.

Jeppesen, Sandra. (2021). Transformative Media: Intersectional Technopolitics from Indymedia to# BlackLivesMatter. UBC Press. 312 pages.

Qiu, Jack L. (2009). Working Class Network Society: Communication Technology and the Information Have-less in Urban China. MIT Press. 320 pages

Nyabola, N. (2018). Digital democracy, analogue politics: How the Internet era is transforming politics in Kenya. Bloomsbury Publishing. 300 pages

Treré, E., & Magallanes Blanco, C. (2015). Battlefields, experiences, debates: Latin American struggles and digital media resistance. International Journal of Communication, 9: 3652–3661. 9 pages

Are, Carolina (2021) The Shadowban Cycle: an autoethnography of pole dancing, nudity and
censorship on Instagram, Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2021.1928259

Are, Carolina & Paasonen, Susanna (2021) Sex in the shadows of celebrity, Porn Studies, 8:4, 411-419, DOI: 10.1080/23268743.2021.1974311

Foot, Kirsten (2014) The online emergence of pushback on social media in the United States: a
historical discourse analysis. International Journal of Communication 8: 1313–1342.

Fuchs, Christian (2012) Some reflections on Manuel Castells book “Networks of outrage and
hope: Social movements in the internet age”. TripleC 10(2): 775-797.

Karppi, Tero (2011) Digital suicide and the biopolitics of leaving Facebook. TRANSFORMATIONS
Journal of Media & Culture 20: 1–28.

Plaut, Ethan R. (2015) Technologies of avoidance: the swear jar and the cell phone. First Monday 20(11). Available at: https:firstmonday.org/ojsindex.php/fm/article/view/6295/5127

Portwood-Stacer, Laura (2013) Media refusal and conspicuous non-consumption: the performative and political dimensions of Facebook abstention. New Media & Society15(7):1041–1057.

Rauch, Jennifer (2011) The origin of slow media: early diffusion of a cultural innovation
through popular and press discourse, 2002–2010. TRANSFORMATIONS Journal of Media &
Culture 20: 1–15.

Uldam, Julie (2018) Social media visibility: challenges to activism. Media, Culture & Society
40(1) 41–58.

Van Dijk, José (2009) Users like you? Theorizing agency in user-generated content. Media,
Culture & Society 31(1): 41–58.

Additional articles 100 pages

Please note that changes may be made to the reading list up until eight weeks before the start of the course.

Citing Sources – How to Create Literature References
http://ju.se/library/search--write/citing-sources---how-to-create-literature-references.html

The Interactive Anti-Plagiarism Guide – Jönköping University
Information about plagiarism at higher education institutions
Available on the e-learning platform