FA 261 Critical Media Studies
3 credits
Who actually owns traditional and social media companies and why does that matter? What are advertisers selling to us? How do they do it? What messages are they telling us? How do we define ourselves in the age of social media? Are we all stuck in our own curated social media bubbles? When you Google something, do you trust the results? Is Google’s algorithm biased?
Every day, we are bombarded by a series of visual messages, social media notifications, television shows, news media, Y ouTube videos, and advertisements on a multitude of screens. When we want to know something, we Google it. This comprehensive media culture that we all inhabit profoundly influences what we consume, know, think, feel, and believe. It alters the way we feel about ourselves and others. Yet, we often don’t take the time to analyze this media and the environment it creates. In this course, we will take a critical approach to studying the media that surrounds us. You will develop an understanding of the profound role that digital media and infrastructures play within society and will acquire the skills to analyze, interpret, write, and speak about this dense media fabric in a more critical and effective manner.
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