Social Media and Culture

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

What is Social Media? We all use it, some of us will even work to "make" the next platform, but to what extent do we really "get" it? How has social media changed the cultures that we live in? How do different cultures around the world use social media differently? What are some of the consequences of the rise of social media for the societies we live within? This course teaches students about the many ways in which social media interactions have become a central element in the everyday lives of humans across the globe in the 21st Century. The course is arranged around a series of readings and watchings, lectures introducing anthropological tools for understanding them and for sparking discussions, and a set of projects that lead students to get their hands dirty, experiencing and analyzing the real "e-world" of social media.