Outline

Overview

This unit explores the rapidly evolving contexts and processes of digital cultural production and consumption. Drawing on a grounded knowledge of social media, digital influencers and platform cultures, students will critically evaluate issues relating to diversity, inclusion and social harms in contemporary social media ecologies. Students will analyse the technical, social and economic structures shaping digital cultural production and evaluate their own agency and opportunities for change-making. They will apply their skills in social media practice and demonstrate their emerging expertise in the field of digital cultures to produce social media artefacts and campaigns.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Media and Communications
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	6 credit points at 2000 level in ARIN and (12 credit points at 1000 level in ARIN or 1000 level in MECO)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Joanne Gray, j.gray@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Case Study Analysis Conduct a case study analysis of the chosen social media phenomenon	30%	Week 05 Due date: 01 Sep 2024 at 23:59	1250 words +/- 10%, excluding references
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Social Media Artefact Create your digital artefact and demonstrate your emerging expertise.	50%	Week 11 Due date: 20 Oct 2024 at 23:59	Equivalent to 2250 words +/- 10% excludi
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Critical Reflection Interactive Oral Assessment	20%	Week 13 Due date: 01 Nov 2024 at 23:59	equivalent to 1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

   •   Assessment 1: For this assignment, you will choose a social media post, event, incident, trend or campaign from one of your own social media feeds that connects to at least one of the topics from Weeks 1 - 5 (platformisation, gender, race, disability and activism). You will conduct a case study analysis of the chosen social media phenomenon, considering issues of diversity, inclusion and harm.

   •   Assessment 2: For this assignment, you will work in groups of 4 to produce a digital artefact that critiques social media and platform culture through a "corrective" or "nudging" approach. You will apply your skills in social media practice to create your digital artefact and demonstrate your emerging expertise in the field of digital cultures.

   •   Assessment 3: In ARIN3611 this semester, you have critically assessed social media cultural production and considered strategies for using social media for positive change. In this final assessment, you are required to reflect on the artefact you created for Assessment 2 and the theories and concepts you encountered throughout the unit. You must complete an oral assessment, which is an authentic, scenario-based one-on-one conversation with your tutor.

All three assessments are hurdle tasks in the unit, students must meet the required standard in an assessment to pass the unit.

Additional Note: Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas

Assessment criteria

Result Name	Mark Range	Description
High Distinction	85 or above	Student demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the social media incident, event, trend or campaign, as well as the issues of diversity, inclusion, and harms that it involves. The analysis is supported by a wide range of relevant and high-quality sources, including original empirical evidence. The student offers new and valuable insights into the phenomenon and its connection to the course topics.
Distinction	75 - 84	Student demonstrates a good understanding of the social media incident, event, trend or campaign, as well as the issues of diversity, inclusion, and harms that it involves. The analysis is supported by a good range of relevant and high-quality sources, including some original empirical evidence. The student offers some new insights into the phenomenon and its connection to the course topics.
Credit	65 - 74	Student demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of the social media incident, event, trend or campaign, as well as the issues of diversity, inclusion, and harms that it involves. The analysis is supported by a limited range of relevant and high-quality sources, and/or the original empirical evidence is not very informative. The student offers some insights into the phenomenon and its connection to the course topics, but they are not very innovative or significant.
Pass	55 - 64	Student demonstrates a weak understanding of the social media incident, event, trend or campaign, and/or the issues of diversity, inclusion, and harms that it involves. The analysis is not very well supported by relevant and high-quality sources, and/or the original empirical evidence is not very relevant or reliable. The student offers few or no new insights into the phenomenon and its connection to the course topics.
Fail	Below 55	Student demonstrates a poor understanding of the social media incident, event, trend or campaign, and/or the issues of diversity, inclusion, and harms that it involves. The analysis is not supported by relevant and high-quality sources, and/or the original empirical evidence is not informative or relevant. The student offers no new insights into the phenomenon and its connection to the course topics.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner's Board. The Examiner's Board will decide whether you should pass of fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: This unit will provide Zoom recordings after each live session, on a weekly basis.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours' preparation time (reading, studying, homework, group work, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.
For more information on attendance, see https://sydney.edu.au/handbooks/arts/rules/faculty_resolutions_arts.shtml.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Week 1

Duffy, Poell, T., & Nieborg, D. B. (2019). Platform Practices in the Cultural Industries: Creativity, Labor, and Citizenship. Social Media + Society, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119879672

Kim, & Yu, J. (2019). Platformizing Webtoons: The Impact on Creative and Digital Labor in South Korea. Social Media + Society, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119880174

Lin, & de Kloet, J. (2019). Platformization of the Unlikely Creative Class: Kuaishou and Chinese Digital Cultural Production. Social Media + Society, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119883430

Week 2

Duffy, & Pruchniewska, U. (2017). Gender and self-enterprise in the social media age: a digital double bind. Information, Communication & Society, 20(6), 843–859. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1291703

Chang, Ren, H., & Yang, Q. (2018). A virtual gender asylum? The social media profile picture, young Chinese women’s self-empowerment, and the emergence of a Chinese digital feminism. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 21(3), 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877916682085

Week 3

Carlson, & Frazer, R. (2020). “They Got Filters”: Indigenous Social Media, the Settler Gaze, and a Politics of Hope. Social Media + Society, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120925261

Brown, Ray, R., Summers, E., & Fraistat, N. (2017). SayHerName: a case study of intersectional social media activism. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40(11), 1831–1846. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2017.1334934

Week 4

Bitman. (2021). “Which part of my group do I represent?”: disability activism and social media users with concealable communicative disabilities. Information, Communication & Society, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1963463

Ellcessor. (2018). “One tweet to make so much noise”: Connected celebrity activism in the case of Marlee Matlin. New Media & Society, 20(1), 255–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816661551

Week 5

Hutchinson. (2021). Micro-platformization for digital activism on social media. Information, Communication & Society, 24(1), 35–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1629612

Mundt, Ross, K., & Burnett, C. M. (2018). Scaling Social Movements Through Social Media: The Case of Black Lives Matter. Social Media + Society, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118807911

Lane, & Dal Cin, S. (2018). Sharing beyond Slacktivism: the effect of socially observable prosocial media sharing on subsequent offline helping behavior. Information, Communication & Society, 21(11), 1523–1540. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1340496

Week 6

Bishop. (2019). Managing visibility on YouTube through algorithmic gossip. New Media & Society, 21(11-12), 2589–2606. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819854731

Abidin. (2016). Visibility labour: Engaging with influencers’ fashion brands and #OOTD advertorial campaigns on instagram. Media International Australia Incorporating Culture & Policy, 161(1), 86–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X16665177

Week 7

Duguay. (2019). “Running the Numbers”: Modes of Microcelebrity Labor in Queer Women’s Self-Representation on Instagram and Vine. Social Media + Society, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119894002

Guarriello. (2019). Never give up, never surrender: Game live streaming, neoliberal work, and personalized media economies. New Media & Society, 21(8), 1750–1769. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819831653

Zhang, & Fung, A. Y. (2014). Working as playing? Consumer labor, guild and the secondary industry of online gaming in China. New Media & Society, 16(1), 38–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444813477077

Week 8

Cunningham, & Craig, D. (2017). Being “really real” on youtube: Authenticity, community and brand culture in social media entertainment. Media International Australia Incorporating Culture & Policy, 164(1), 71–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X17709098

King-O’Riain. (2021). “They were having so much fun, so genuinely . . .”: K-pop fan online affect and corroborated authenticity. New Media & Society, 23(9), 2820–2838. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820941194

Reade. (2021). Keeping it raw on the ‘gram: Authenticity, relatability and digital intimacy in fitness cultures on Instagram. New Media & Society, 23(3), 535–553. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819891699

Week 9

Duffy. (2017). Branding the Authentic Self: The Commercial Appeal of “Being Real.” In (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love (p. 98–). Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.12987/yale/9780300218176.003.0004

Johnson, & Woodcock, J. (2019). “And Today’s Top Donator is”: How Live Streamers on Twitch.tv Monetize and Gamify Their Broadcasts. Social Media + Society, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119881694

Week 10

Hepp, Breiter, A., & Hasebrink, U. (2017). The Complexity of Datafication: Putting Digital Traces in Context. In Communicative Figurations. Springer International Publishing AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65584-0_16

Ulises A. Mejias, & Nick Couldry. (2019). Datafication. Internet Policy Review, 8(Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.14763/2019.4.1428

Week 11

Marwick, & Partin, W. C. (2022). Constructing alternative facts: Populist expertise and the QAnon conspiracy. New Media & Society, 146144482210902–. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221090201

Are. (2021). The Shadowban Cycle: an autoethnography of pole dancing, nudity and censorship on Instagram. Feminist Media Studies, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2021.1928259

Le, & Hutchinson, J. (2022). Regulating social media and influencers within Vietnam. Policy and Internet, 14(3), 558–573. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.325

Marwick, & Caplan, R. (2018). Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment. Feminist Media Studies, 18(4), 543–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1450568

OLIVER L. HAIMSON. (n.d.). Disproportionate Removals and Difering Content Moderation Experiences for Conservative, Transgender, and Black Social Media Users: Marginalization and Moderation Gray Areas. https://doi.org/10.1145/3479610

Week 12

Kaye, & Gray, J. E. (2021). Copyright Gossip: Exploring Copyright Opinions, Theories, and Strategies on YouTube. Social Media + Society, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211036940

Kaye, Rodriguez, A., Langton, K., & Wikstrom, P. (2021). You Made This? I Made This: Practices of Authorship and Attribution on TikTok. International Journal of Communication (Online), 3195–.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. LO1. identify and analyse the types, forms, features and functions of social media platforms.
LO2. LO2. demonstrate a critical understanding of the industrial, social and cultural context of social media production.
LO3. LO3. research, write, and produce social media artefact.
LO4. LO4. discuss the significance of professional issues such as platform regulation, content moderation, algorithmic visibility, and cultural representation to social media practice.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has incorporated previous students' feedback and has redesigned the assessment tasks to improve interactivity.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Students should fully consider any risks associated with creating digital artefact, and should consult with the lecturer if they have any concerns.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ARIN3611: Social Media Cultural Production

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect