Reference: use at least 5 academic sources (this means journal articles, books, book
chapters, or readings from this course); if you are writing about a specific media company
and digital platform, consider incorporating first-hand documents such as annual report,
privacy policy or terms of service
Length: 7-9 pages, double spaced, including reference
Organization: feel free to use subheadings to organize the flow of the paper; provide title
page and page number; if needed, you can incorporate one or two tables or graphs to
present data.
Citation: MLA or APA
Note: Avoid using block quote (more than three lines) unless necessary. Dont let the long
quote speak for you. Your analysis should be authentic and reflect concepts introduced in
the lecture and materials. Discuss the examples/case study in detail rather than just
stating the fact and unpack how they speak to the concepts or your arguments.
You can pick from one of the following three options
Write a case study applying one of the foundational theories:
a. Does Google (or Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Steam, etc.) have monopoly of
knowledge (according to Harold Inniss term) in our society and how?
b. How tech companies employ technological determinism/Californian ideology in
policy discourse when facing government probing (e.g. in labor issues, market
monopoly, privacy, threat to democracy and sociocultural fabric of the society)
c. Apply Actor Network Theory to understand a culture phenomenon (web uses), or
a social event (such as a social movement): for example, Lil Nas Xs Old Town Road
on TikTok
In-depth analysis of a platform using theoretical framework in institutional dynamics and
platform studies section:
a. Political economy analysis of a media company or digital platform (issue of value,
labor, power), focusing on one or two processes from commodification,
structuration, or spatialization
b. Analyze a social media platform using the social media logic (week 10) and reflect
on how it shapes your use
c. Study of a regional platform: analyze a European, Chinese, or non-Western digital
platform and how different culture, socio-political factors shape them
