Technology, Innovation and New Media

Online social network sites have become active political forums in the information age, where revolutionary technology has made the media more readily available than ever before. Outlets such as Internet websites, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are accessed on phones and the news media update breaking news seconds of its release. In the new media environment, the public has the ability to be active on social networks and engage with the media by commenting on blogs, sending articles and videos. The public is no longer a passive observer of the media and can actively engages in the media and influence the political discourse. In this course, we look at how the Internet and new media technologies have affected the ways in which the public gets its news and how it changes public perception of the political spectrum. We assess whether the public is more informed today or if the internet has become saturated with user-generated content that provides a polarized account of the news.

Indicative Syllabus