In the “Generation Like: Youth and New Media” unit, we explore the way the proliferation of social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat have reshaped our understanding of an entire generation. It builds on our large discussion on the impact of social media on society at large, and specifically with our relationship to ourselves and to other people. In this project, your task is to use social media in order to comment on how we as a society are grappling with changes in new media technology. In the Application Analysis assignment, you considered how the design of different pplications was shaped by the chosen platform and the affordances associated with it. Now, in the Platformed Analysis, you’ll test the affordances of different platforms by choosing an application as a medium to reflect on course content, creating something that can spur further conversation about the cultural dynamics of new media technology. Using material from the “Generation Like: Youth and New Media” unit, you’ll utilize a social networking application in order to reflect on the documentary Generation Like along with at least one other course reading. This can include any of the following:
• A 3-5 minute YouTube video
o Past student projects: Vlogs responding to Generation Like,
reaction video to YouTuber content, parody of YouTuber culture
• An Instagram or Snapchat story featuring at least 15 discrete photos or
videos
o Past student projects: A low-rent recreation of celebrity Snaps,
polling fellow students about their social media habits
• A series of Instagram posts, featuring at least 15 images between them
o Past student projects: A day documented in selfies, multi-image
posts contrasting forms of self-representation
• 15 tweets using a hashtag you design, featuring a combination of text,
image, and video content
o Past student projects: Curation of brand tweets that spread
widely, commentary on YouTube culture
This content can cover a wide range of topics throughout the unit, potentially
connecting with topics from previous units as well where relevant. You can
discuss
• The rise of “YouTube” stars
• The corporatization of the YouTube platform
• Selfie Culture
• Social media and self-representation
• Brand Integration
• Spreadable Media
You will also write a two-page (12pt, double-spaced) reflection paper
explaining your Platformed Analysis and explaining how it connects with
course content, which should address the following questions:
• What made you choose this particular application to address your
chosen topic? How did the specific affordances of the chosen social
application shape your project?
• Did you face any challenges executing your idea with the technology
involved? What did you learn from those challenges?
• What did you want those who engage with your analysis to take away
from it?
• How did completing this project change your perspective on the
relationship between new media technology and youth culture?
