Analysing Digital Culture Course Overview

The phenomenon of people connecting and acting collectively online using hashtags and social media platforms to address a certain issue.

When online platforms allow people to organize and participate in public matters, forming networked societies.

The relentless work required to build and maintain a digital presence, often done for little to no compensation, especially within creative industries.

The difference between simply sharing a post and actively calling for action on a specific issue.

The use of a hashtag to raise awareness and mobilize support around a specific issue, often related to social justice or humanitarian crises.

Uncompensated, independent work driven by the ideal of making a living doing what you love, often involving self-promotion and building an online persona.

A form of self-promotion that applies micro-celebrity techniques across different professions and aspects of life, blurring the lines between personal and professional.

The use of social media platforms, particularly TikTok, to mobilize people for political action and protest, creating a rapid and widespread response.

The practice of presenting oneself as a product with inherent value, requiring careful packaging and online communication, often driven by the need to stand out in a crowded digital landscape.

The idea that people use technology based on their perceptions, expectations, and the way technology functions, influencing the intentions of designers.

Making something more visible to a wider audience through online platforms, increasing the reach of a message or cause.

The practice of optimizing one's online presence to increase algorithmic visibility and create a curated digital persona, often involving strategic use of keywords, hashtags, and engagement tactics.

The use of public figures or celebrities to promote a cause or message, often using visual elements such as pictures and emojis.

The perceived authenticity displayed on social media platforms, which can be carefully curated and strategically managed to create a desired image.

The blurring of lines between self-promotion and selling out, raising questions about the nature of authenticity and the impact of digital self-presentation on personal values.

The labor involved in managing one's online visibility, which includes promoting oneself, creating content, and engaging with an audience, often with the expectation of future rewards.

Digital platforms and the attention economy play a crucial role in spreading and shaping memes by influencing their format, visibility, and virality.

Memes on platforms like TikTok often feature embodied elements, incorporating movements, music, and physical locations.

Memes with embodied elements are often more engaging and easily spread due to their visual, emotional, and participatory nature.

The 'recommendation algorithm' on platforms determines which content is shown to users, influencing the visibility and spread of memes.

Memes on platforms like TikTok are often characterized by unpredictability and a focus on quick, engaging content.

The trend of companies creating memes that align with online trends and viral movements is known as 'meme marketing.'

Meme marketing aims to connect companies with audiences by utilizing the language and humor of online memes.

Memes often incorporate elements of authenticity, humor, and subversion of traditional marketing strategies, making them more relatable and engaging to audiences.

The idea that technical systems, like social media platforms, embed and reinforce existing social biases and power structures. This leads to discrimination against marginalized groups, often through the use of algorithms that categorize and target users based on their perceived identity.

The default user in many online platforms is assumed to be white and male, with other groups being added in a fragmented and often biased way. This results in a system that caters to the dominant group, while potentially neglecting the needs and experiences of others.

This occurs when systems categorize and target users for corporate gain, potentially ignoring or even exploiting the interests of marginalized groups. This can involve targeting specific groups with harmful or exploitative content, often without their consent.

The process of using AI systems to categorize and infer information about individuals, often based on personal data and online activity. This process can lead to the creation of biased profiles that reinforce existing stereotypes and social inequalities.

The idea that technology is not neutral but reflects the values and biases of those who create it. This highlights the responsibility of developers to consider the potential consequences of their work and to mitigate harmful impacts on various communities.

A society characterized by perfect harmony, ideal conditions, and lack of problems. It often serves as a fictional model for social improvement.

A utopian narrative that focuses on the positive aspects of a society or technology, highlighting its potential for human flourishing.

A utopian narrative that emphasizes the negative aspects of a society or technology, often depicting a nightmare scenario.

A fictional island with a supposedly perfect socio-political-legal system, depicted in Sir Thomas More's book 'Utopia' (1516). This concept has become synonymous with the idea of a perfect society.

The process of collaboratively creating and sharing information, resources, and services through online platforms. It is a core principle of the internet and emphasizes collective effort and decentralized control.

The capacity for humans to thrive and flourish, reaching their full potential in all aspects of life. It involves well-being, meaning, and personal growth.

The ability of a technology or platform to provide practical value, addressing real-world needs and improving user experience.

The way we think and feel about algorithms, influenced by their integration into our lives, datafication, public discourse, and regulation.

A process of converting text into a sequence of numerical values, allowing computer processing.

Representations of words, phrases, or sentences as numerical vectors, capturing semantic relationships between words.

Deep learning models that utilize attention mechanisms to process sequences of data, like text or code.

Fine-tuning pre-trained language models with human feedback, usually via reinforcement learning, to align their responses with desired behaviors.

Large language models (LLMs) trained on massive datasets, capable of performing various language-related tasks including text generation, translation, and summarization.

The belief that progress and control over technology are inevitable, even if it comes at the cost of societal impact.

The use of algorithms and AI in various aspects of digital culture, including social media, online platforms, and entertainment.