Mini Mission 1: Analysis and reflection (2018/19)
Do something. Reflect on it. Develop your ideas
This is an archived version of a page from Digital Society 2018/9, to preserve content for past participants. See the main page for the latest materials.
Manchester students: There is no reading in preparation for week 6, only doing . Please work on this Mini Mission and share your thoughts in a comment before the session on Mon week 6 (4th Mar), Room 1.219, University Place. We will discuss it in the session.
Mini Missions are a chance to explore and experiment with the world, to develop your ideas around ‘digital society’. There are no right or wrong answers.
Mini Mission 1 is about analysis and reflection: analysing yourself or a cultural work, and reflecting on what this means to you, what you have learned, or how your ideas have changed.
Choose one Mini Mission from the options, do it, and leave a one-paragraph comment with your thoughts, before Mon week 6 (4th Mar).
Option 1A: Facebook usage report
Facebook users only. Get a summary of your Facebook usage, including what you post, when, and how people interact with it.
Your mission: Use Facebook analytics to generate a Facebook report.
1. Click at the top right of any Facebook page and select Settings
2. In the left hand menu access Your Facebook information
3. Click Download your information
4. Click Create File
Your Facebook information will now be processed as a file and you will be notified in Facebook when it is available to download
Read it and think about the questions below. Add a comment with your thoughts.
Questions to consider:
- What surprises you?
- How, if at all, will this change the way you use/think about Facebook
- What have you learned?
Option 1B: Google yourself
Anyone can do this. Look at Google (or your usual search engine) results for ‘you’ and see what you find. Some of the results may relate to you and some will not.
Your mission: Use the Social Profile Checker by SALT.agency to systematically Google yourself (or manually use any search engine). Look at the results and think about the questions. Add a comment with your thoughts.
Questions to consider: What do you think about the results which relate to you? What about the rest? What surprises you? What have you learned?
Option 1C: Digital society in art and culture
Find an idea of ‘digital society’ in an artwork and consider what it is saying, your interpretation and your views.
Your mission: Choose one art or cultural work such as a film, meme, cartoon or TV programme which is relevant to ‘digital society’ in your opinion It should be legally obtained and suitable for sharing with the course.
Think about the questions below and comment with your thoughts and a link to the work.
Questions to consider:
- What is this work saying about ‘digital society’?
- What does it make you think about ‘digital society’?
- What do you think about this? Has your view changed? What have you learned?
Some ideas (you can use one of these, or choose something yourself):
- xkcd: The Pace of Modern Life (cartoon, online)
- diesel sweeties: Words by the Slice (cartoon, online)
- Humans: Episode 1 (TV, Channel 4)
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Book, in the Library)
What do you think?
After you have ‘done’ your Mini Mission, think about the questions for that mission, and leave a paragraph (or more) comment below.
