Media and Power in the Digital Age

Moscow 2015

Anton Gumenskiy

1. Communicating Power. Political Communication Theory

• Communication and Media Studies. Basic concepts and definitions that constitute the framework of political communication as a field of study, contemporary communication theories and models, methods, actual issues and fields of research

2. Media. Theory, Evolution and Paradox

• Media and Cognition. Communication and information processes

• The phenomenon of media, the role of media in the development of political culture; the global media giants, new media technologies; media environment; the impact of media on political processes

3. Audience. The Rise of Peers

• States, business, civil institutions, hackers, pirates and other actors of the information society

• Socio-psychological characteristics of digital communication

• Strategies for interaction with the audience

• Contemporary methods of audience research

4. Self and Society

• Media and Self. Identity, Self perception, the Other

• Media and Society. Social Structure, Classes, New Tribes, Imagined Communities

5. BoBo in Hell. Media and Culture

•Political, Ethnic, Professional, Corporate, Mass, Social Cultures and Subcultures

•Interpersonal and Group Communication

•Cross-Cultural Communication

6. The Sleep of Reason. Contemporary Political Discourse

• Myths, archetypes, rituals, images, concepts, paradigms, ideologies and other dominant ideas of the contemporary political discourse, constituting the frameworks and the content of the global information space.

7. Message in a Bottle. New genres and formats in the digital era

• Message as the key element of political communication. Evolution of message: from text and image - to hypertext and infographics, from manifest - to ‘Like’; user generated content, genres of political communication and formats of messages in the digital age

8. Lords of Chaos. Digital Governance

• Game Theory, Chaos Theory, and other advanced science principles used for sustainability and consensus

9. The End of the Net. How virtual worlds get real

• Thomas Theorem (1928), mobile technologies, ambient media; Arab Spring, London riots August 2011, Occupy Wall St. etc., Russia’s Bolotnaya 2011-2012; civil activism and ‘slacktivism’, transformation of political culture

10. Digital Tribe. State of Tomorrow

• Technical Progress and Evolution of Society and State. Future technologies and their impact on society and politics

Essential Reading

1. Anderson, Benedict (1983). Imagined Communities2. Baudrillard, Jean (1994). Simulacra and Simulation3. Giddens, Anthony (1999). Runaway World4. Gitelman, Lisa (2013). Raw Data Is an Oxymoron5. Gladwell, Malcolm (2010). Small Change6. Granovetter, Mark S. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties7. McLuhan, Marshall (1964). Understanding Media8. Laughey, Dan (2007). Key Themes in Media Theory9. Orwell, George (1949). 198410. Pelevin, Victor (1999). Generation "П“11. Postman, Neil (1985). Amusing Ourselves to Death12. Said, Edward (1978). Orientalism

Other Reading

1. Craig, Robert (1999). Communication Theory as a Field.

2. Eco, Umberto (1979). The Role of the Reader

3. Eliade, Mircea (1963). Myth and Reality

4. Giddens, Anthony (1990). The Consequences of Modernity

5. Greene, Sam (2012). The End of Virtuality.

6. Hardy, Quentin (2011). How the Internet Is Ruining Everything

7. Herman, Edward S., Chomsky, Noam (1988). Manufacturing Consent

8. Huizinga, Johan (1938). Homo Ludens

9. Huxley, Aldous (1958). Brave New World Revisited

10. Lanier, Jaron (2010). You Are Not a Gadget

11. Shirky, Clay (2010). Cognitive Surplus

12. Weinberger, David (2012). Too Big to Know

13. Žižek, Slavoj (2008). Violence.

Writing Assignments

• Wikipedia article, April 2, 1000 words, specific topic, extensive use of various sources, the paragraph “Criticism” or “Controversy” is required

• Research Paper Proposal, May 1, 1000 words, original research, clear and substantial problem

Research Proposal Questions:

What are you doing?

Why is this important?

How are you doing this?

Context, moving from general to specific, from the

problem to the subject

Main focus, collecting and analyzing

data on the subject

Conclusions, moving from specific to

general, from the subject to the wider context

1000 words

• Problem• Hypothesis • Arguments• Research Questions• Literature review• Theory• Methods• References

- essence and significance of the research theme

- answer, expected results- extension of your point

- 3-5 steps of research- who wrote what on the

problem- what theoretical approach

you use and why- data collection and

analysis

Research Problem

• Paradox

• Nonsense

• Controversy

• Elephant in the room

• Collapse of logic and common sense

• Existence of what can not exist

• Defined as a specific and narrow Why or How question

Research Fields

1. Audience: Crowdsourcing, Empowerment, etc.

2. Cognition: Theories and Research Methods

3. Culture: Political, Corporate, Ethnic, Subcultures, etc.

4. Environment: Ecology, Economy, Urbanism, etc.

5. Ethics & Morality

6. Future & Past: Forecasts, Futurology, Sci-Fi, etc.

7. Myths: Ideologies, Discourses, Paradigms, etc.

8. Order & Chaos: Consensus, Conflict, Change, etc.

9. Self & the Other: Identity, Globalization, Migration, etc.

10. Social Structure: New Tribes, Imagined Communities

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