Food for Thought

Questions will be posted...

Politics in Media
The Peek-a Boo World Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
The Age of Show Business Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
Reach out and Elect someone Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
“Introduction: The Nature of Infection,” Media Virus! Douglas Rushkoff, e-reserve
“Tactical Media,” Media Virus!
“Open Source Democracy: How online communication is changing off-line politics”

Mobile Phones and Activism
“Mobile Phones and Social Activism,” Ethan Zuckerman,
How to Recognize the Future When it Lands on You Smart Mobs, Howard Rheingold

Fanfiction and Culture Jamming
“Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing, and Snipping in the Empire of Signs” Mark Dery,
“Get a Life,” Textual Poachers, Henry Jenkins
Brownian Motion Constance Penley

Convergence Culture
“Introduction: ‘Worship at the Altar of Convergence’” Convergence Culture, Henry Jenkins
Photoshop for Democracy Convergence Culture, Henry Jenkins
Transmedia Storytelling 101 Henry Jenkins
“Spoiling Survivor: The Anatomy of Knowledge Community” Convergence Culture, Henry Jenkins,

Viral Stories
“The YouTube? effect,” Bob Garfield
“The Secret World of Lonelygirl,” Joshua Davis,
“’Lonely Girl’ (and Friends) Just Wanted a Movie Deal,” Virginia Heffernan and Tom Zeller,
“Peircing the Veil of Lonelygirl15,” Associated Press
The Noble Amateur The Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen
“Truth and Lies,” The Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen

Virtual Communities
Introduction The Virtual Community, Howard Rheingold
“A Daily Life in Cyberspace: How the Computerized Counterculture Built a New Kind of Place,” The Virtual Community, Howard Rheingold
Multi-User Dungeons and Alternative Identities The Virtual Community, Howard Rheingold
“Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community,” Judith S. Donath

Identity, Gender, and Sex
Tinysex and Gender Trouble Life on the Screen, Sheryl Turkle
A Rape in Cyberspace High Noon on the Electronic Frontier, Julian Dibbell
“Robocopulation: Sex Times Technology Equals the Future,” Escape Velocity, Mark Dery, e-reserve
“Architecture and Vice,” Dave Thomas
“Sex Lives in Second Life,” Robert Brookey

Social Media
“A History of the Social Web,” Trebor Scholz
“Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Hearth MySpace?,” danah boyd,
“Friends, Friendsters, and Top 8: Writing Community into being on Social Network Sites, danah boyd

Privacy Online
How to Lose Your Job in Your Own Time,” Randall Stross
“Facebook’s ‘Privacy Trainwreck,’: Exposure, Invasion, and Drama, danah boyd,
“Facebook's "opt-out" precedent,” danah boyd
“Zuckerberg Saves Face, Apologizes For Beacon,” Erick Schonfeld

Dark Side of Networked Culture
Murder on MySpace Noah Shachtman
An IM infatuation Turned to Romance. Then the Truth Came Out Nadya Labi
Hackers take down the most wired country in Europe
“Overprotective parenting and bullying: Who is to blame for the suicide of Megan Meier?”
“Who Killed Miss Norway?” Tracy Spaight