Comm XYZ: Social Media, My Digital Self, and I



Comm 499: Social MEdia, MY Digital SELF, and Identity

Spring 2011

Instructor: Rabindra (“Robby”) Ratan

Schedule: Tu Th 3:30-4:50pm

Office: G6 (Annenberg Basement – West side of building)

Office Hours: Th 2:00 – 3:00, and by appt.

Phone: PARLE – ROBBY (727 537 6229)

Email: ratan@usc.edu

Course Overview

As our media landscape evolves, we are faced with an increasingly complex number ways to represent ourselves online.  Whether on Facebook, , World of Warcraft, Second Life, or any of the thousands of other social media platforms, we interact with people through customized and personalized self-representations. Some of these digital self-representations look or behave as we do offline.  Others seem to have little or no similarity to our offline selves. How do people make choices about self-representation online?  What effects do these choices have on social interactions? Why do some people choose differently than others?

To address these questions, this course examines the relationship between people and their digital selves in social media environments. After introducing theories of the self and computer-mediated communication (CMC) in general, the course applies these concepts to self-presentation within 2D and 3D online environments. The course then introduces the concept of Presence in order to examine self-presentation in virtual environments and the offline effects of using avatars. Assignments and exams are designed to encourage students to develop an introspective understanding of their own online self-presentation as it relates to the class material.

Warning: students in this course will be required to share personal examples of their own self-presentation online as well as thoughts on their feelings of self. While introspection and reflection are important aspects of University student life, some people may feel uncomfortable discussing these topics in a classroom setting. Students should keep this in mind when considering this course.

Course Objectives

- To appreciate the complexity of self-presentation online.

- To understand how theories of self, CMC, and Presence relate to social media.

- To analyze and apply current research on these topics.

- To develop a reflective approach toward self-presentation online.

Course Materials

Readings in the course will be balanced between theoretical and empirical articles. The instructor will dedicate class time to ensuring that students are comfortable reading the latter.

Most readings are available on the Internet. Save your money. Tip your teacher (jk) ;).

Assessment

20% - Reaction Papers: Students will be required to write five 1-2 page papers in response to the week’s readings. These papers should NOT summarize the readings. Instead, the papers must relate aspects of the readings to real media technologies that the students have used or potential media technologies that the students could imagine using in the future. Students can choose any five weeks of the semester in which to write the papers. Papers are due before the beginning of class via email to the instructor. Late papers will NOT be accepted.

- Note: The best strategy is to complete these reactions papers early in the semester

20% - Short Paper: Students will write a 3-5 page paper analyzing an existing example of their own self-presentation online, most likely their Facebook pages. If a student does not have a Facebook account, the instructor will suggest modifications to this assignment. All papers must draw from and cite at least 5 articles from class. An appendix (not included in page count) of screenshots will be required.

- Due Week 6 in class (the week of February 14th)

20% - Mid-term Exam: This exam will consist of various types of questions about the theories and research presented in the readings, discussed in class, or both.

- Exam take places place Week 10 (the week of March 14th)

30 % - Final Project: Students will be required to create a new self-representation in an online 3D social environment. This self-representation should be based on the students’ conception of an alternate self (e.g., the ideal self). Students must spend at least 5 hours interacting with strangers in this environment. Students will write a 7-9 page paper analyzing the experience of developing the self-representation and the social interactions with others. The papers must draw from and cite at least 7 articles from class. An appendix (not included in page count) of screenshots will be required.

- Due Week 14 in class (the week of April 11th)

10% - Final Presentation: Students will present their screenshots from both papers and lead a short discussion about their work.

- Presentations Week 15 in class (the week of April 18th)

Course Policies

Attendance in class is required, but 2 unexcused absences will be allowed. The third and each subsequent unexcused absence will result in a 5% deduction from the student’s final grade. For an absence to be excused, the instructor must receive official paperwork (e.g., from the medical center) stating a reason for the absence (e.g., a family emergency) within 2 weeks of the absence.

Participation is required (in life as well as in class). Every student must contribute at least once in every class. See below for the consequence of not meeting this requirement.

Grade Bumps of up to 1% will be awarded to students with excellent attendance (0-1 absences) and participation if this will improve their final letter grade. For example, an 88.6 could be bumped to 89.6, which would round up to an A- instead of a B. Students who do not have excellent attendance and participation cannot be bumped.

Laptop, Phone, and other Mobile Devices are permitted in class, but irrelevant multitasking is not. Students may use such devices to access information that is relevant to class discussions. Those who share such information with the class will be applauded. But students who check email, send texts, browse websites, or otherwise use a device to “zone out” of the class discussion will be chided. Repeat offenders may have their in-class device rights revoked or their irrelevant musings made public to the instructor and the class. A good rule-of-thumb question students should ask themselves is, “Would I want the instructor and my classmates to see what’s on my screen right now?”

Note: Ringers must be off (unless you are a parent, doctor, or dignitary). The instructor reserves the right to answer any student’s phone that rings twice (throughout the semester).

Facebook and Social Networks are important aspects of the course, but the instructor cannot accept friend requests until the end of the semester.

Academic integrity: The Annenberg School for Communication is committed to upholding the University’s Academic Integrity code as detailed in the Scampus guide. It is the policy of the School of Communication to report all violations of the code. Any serious violations or pattern of violations of the Academic Integrity Code will result in the student’s expulsion from the Communication major or minor.

Information on the Academic Integrity Code can be found here:

Note: The instructor takes breaches in academic integrity very seriously. Plagiarism, copying from anywhere (including the Internet), or any other form of cheating or dishonesty will be punished to the fullest extent possible.

ADA Compliance Statement: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

Schedule of Readings

Week 1 – Presenting Yourself – but which one?

Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. [Introduction Only]

Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1987). Possible selves: The interface between motivation and the self-concept. Self and identity: Psychosocial perspectives, 157-172.

Optional:

Rosenberg, M. (1986). Conceiving the self. Malabar, FL: Robert E. Krieger.

self-concept - ‘individual's thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object’.

Week 2 – Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) – where the magic happens

Walther, J. B. (2006). Nonverbal dynamics in computer-mediated communication, or :( and the net :('s with you, :) and you :) alone. In V. Manusov & M. Patterson (Eds.), The Sage handbook of nonverbal communication (pp. 461-480). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sundar, S. S. (2008).   Self as source: agency and customization in interactive media.  In Konijn, E. A., Utz, S., Tanis, M., & Barnes, S. B. (Eds.) (2008). Mediated Interpersonal Communication.  New York:  Routledge.

Optional:

Kalyanaraman, S., & Sundar, S. S. (2008).   Impression formation effects in online mediated communication.  In Konijn, E. A., Utz, S., Tanis, M., & Barnes, S. B. (Eds.) (2008). Mediated Interpersonal Communication.  New York:  Routledge.

Week 3 – Computer-Mediated Selves – and the people who love them

Walther, J. B. (2007). Selective self-presentation in computer-mediated communication: Hyperpersonal dimensions of technology, language, and cognition. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 2538-2557.

Bargh, J. A., McKenna, K. Y. A., & Fitzsimmons, G. M. (2002). Can you see the real me? Activation and expression of the "true self" on the Internet. Journal of Social Issues, 58(1), 33-48.

Henderson, S., & Gilding, M. (2004).  ‘I’ve never clicked this much with anyone in my life’:  Trust and hyperpersonal communication in online friendships.  New Media & Society, 6(4), 487-506.

Week 4 – Social Networking Sites: Your Face

boyd, d. m., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, article 11. 



Zhao, S., Grasmuck, S., & Martin, J. (2008). Identity construction on Facebook: Digital empowerment in anchored relationships. Computers in Human Behavior.

Facebook identities

Liu, H. (2007). Social network profiles as taste performances. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 13.

Week 5 – Social Networking Sites: Your Friends’ Faces

Tong, S. T., Van Der Heide, B., Langwell, L, & Walther, J. (2008). Too much of a good thing? The relationship between number of friends and interpersonal impressions on Facebook. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.,13, 531-549.

Walther, J. B., Van Der Heide, B., Kim, S., Westerman, D., &Tong, S.T.  (2008). The role of friends' appearance and behavior on evaluations of individuals on Facebook: Are we known by the company we keep? Human Communication Research. 34, 28-49

Week 6 – Self-Presentation in Online Dating – a serious affair

 

Whitty, M. (2008).  The joys of online dating.  In Konijn, E. A., Utz, S., Tanis, M., & Barnes, S. B. (Eds.), Mediated Interpersonal Communication.  New York:  Routledge.

Gibbs, J., Ellison, N., & Heino, R. (2006). Self-presentation in online personals: The role of anticipated future interaction, self-disclosure, and perceived success in Internet dating. Communication Research, 33(2), 152.

Rosen, L. D., Cheever, N. A., Cummings, C., & Felt, J. (2008). The impact of emotionality and self-disclosure on online dating versus traditional dating. Computers in Human Behavior., 24(5), 2124-2157

 

Week 7 – Self-presentation in Text-Based Networked Games: You in a MOO

Dibbell, J. (1993). “A Rape in Cyberspace: How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database Into a Society”. The Village Voice.

Danet, B. (1998). Text as mask: Gender, play and performance on the Internet. In S. Jones (Ed.), Cybersociety 2.0 (pp. 129-158). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Roberts, L. D., & Parks, M. R. (1999). The social geography of gender-switching in virtual environments on the Internet. Information, Communication, and Society, 2, 521-540.

Optional: Turkle, Sherry. (1994). “Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality: Playing in the MUDs”, Mind, Culture and Activity.

Week 8 – Self-Presentation in 3D Online Games: You in a MMO

Hussain, Z., & Griffiths, M. (2008). Gender swapping and socializing in cyberspace: an exploratory study. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(1), 47-53.

Katherine Bessière; Fleming Seay; Sara Kiesler; The Ideal Elf: Identity Exploration in World of Warcraft -

Chandler, J., Konrath, S., & Schwarz, N. (2009). Online and On My Mind: Temporary and Chronic Accessibility Moderate the Influence of Media Figures. Media Psychology, 12(2), 210-226.

Week 9 – Self-Presentation Across 3D Environments Online: Second Life is not a Game

Messinger, P. R., Ge, X., Stroulia, E., Lyons, K., Smirnov, K., & Bone, M. (2008). On the Relationship between My Avatar and Myself. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 1(2).

Ducheneaut, N., Wen, M., Yee, N., & Wadley, G. (2009). Body and mind: a study of avatar personalization in three virtual worlds. Proceedings of CHI 2009.

Week 10 - Self-Presentation in non-networked games: when Wii are together

Downs, E., & Oliver, M. B. (2009). How Can Wii Learn From Video Games? Examining Relationships Between Technological Affordances & Sociocognitive Determinates on Affective and Behavioral Outcomes. Paper presented at the International Communication Association, Chicago, IL.

Jin, S. A. (2009). Avatars Mirroring the Actual Self versus Projecting the Ideal Self: The Effects of Self-Priming on Interactivity and Immersion in an Exergame, Wii Fit. CyberPsychology & Behavior.

Jin, S. A., & Park, N. (2009). Parasocial Interaction with My Avatar: Effects of Interdependent Self-Construal and the Mediating Role of Self-Presence in an Avatar-Based Console Game, Wii. . Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12.

Week 11 – All Avatars are not Created, Controlled, or Considered Equally

Bailenson, J., & Blascovich, J. (2004). Avatars. Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction. Berkshire Publishing Group, 64–68.

Bailenson, J.N.,Yee, N., Blascovich, J., & Guadagno, R.E. (2008).  Transformed social interaction in mediated interpersonal communication. In Konijn, E. A., Utz, S., Tanis, M., & Barnes, S. B. (Eds.), Mediated Interpersonal Communication.  New York:  Routledge.

Week 12 – Virtual Reality and Presence – what do I where?

Biocca, F. (1997). The cyborg's dilemma: Embodiment in virtual environments, Cognitive Technology, 1997.'Humanizing the Information Age'. Proceedings., Second International Conference on (pp. 12-26).

Lee, K. M. (2004). Presence, explicated. Communication Theory, 14(1), 27-50.

Ratan, R., & Hasler, B.S. (2010). Exploring Self-Presence in Collaborative Virtual Teams. PsychNology Journal, 8(1), p. 11-31.

Week 13 – Real Effects of Virtual Selves – my Mii made me do it, pt 1.

Frank, M., & Gilovich, T. (1988). The dark side of self and social perception: Black uniforms and aggression in professional sports. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 74–85.

Yee, N., Bailenson, J. N., & Ducheneaut, N. (2009). The Proteus effect: Implications of transformed digital self-representation on online and offline behavior. Communication Research, 36(2), 285.

Yee, N., & Bailenson, J. (2006). Walk a mile in digital shoes: The impact of embodied perspective-taking on the reduction of negative stereotyping in immersive virtual environments. Proceedings of PRESENCE, 24–26.

Week 14 – Real Effects of Virtual Selves – my Mii made me do it, pt 2.

Pena, J., Hancock, J., & Merola, N. (2009). The Priming Effects of Avatars in Virtual Settings. Communication Research.

Fox, J., Bailenson, J., & Binney, J. (2009). Virtual Experiences, Physical Behaviors: The Effect of Presence on Imitation of an Eating Avatar. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 18(4), 294-303.

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