Assessment: Research Report
Word Length: 2,000 words
Students will design a small-scale research project involving at least two platforms or apps, drawing on methods and approaches covered in this module. This may take the form of, for example, a cross-platform analysis of an issue, event, or topic; a comparative exploration of apps around a common theme; an examination of news or image circulation on different social media; an analysis of visual vernaculars on different platforms; a historical examination of apps or platforms. Other approaches to potential projects are also encouraged, as long as they involve at least two platforms or apps.
Students will submit a research proposal about their project. Students will be required to develop a clear and robust research question and must detail how they would conduct their research project using tools and techniques featured in the module. The proposal will include discussion of the research problem, methods, limitations, ethical challenges, and significance and contribution of this research. The proposal should also include a literature review detailing the context for this project, including key debates about relevant issues in social media research and how this project would contribute to them.
The research report will be 2000 words long (+/- 10%), excluding references.
ADVANCED SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH OVERVIEW
Module description
This module introduces students to new methodologies and contexts for digital media research, focusing on researching involving more than just a single social media platform through cross-platform studies and critical examination of social media and apps.
The module consists of weekly workshops. During the workshops, students will receive introductions to key ideas, tools, and techniques, and work individually and in small groups on exercises and examples involving these topics.
This module aims to:
1. Introduce students to a range of methods, tools and processes for conducting social media research;
2. Provide students with the requisite skills to develop critical social media research projects;
3. Explore critically how social media platforms and apps are developed and designed, and how this affects user experiences and cultures;
4. Explore the ethical issues that arise through doing social media research, including through the use of digital methods.