Communications Question

Choose a topic you are most educated on from the topic list and write a 7 pages paper including bibliography. Only choose this if you are educated in communication technology. Please let me know which topic you would like to do and I will send you the articles from my class in accordance to that topic. I prefer if you choose one on social media because that is my own expertise.

COMM 309: COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Instructions for FINAL paper
(due April 25, 11:59pm)
In this paper, you will use the insights, materials, and theories you have learned about in the entire course
to discuss a viewpoint and make a strong argument for it.
For the final paper, you can either expand one of the weekly assignment responses from the semester or
you can choose to write a new paper related to either of the topics in the course (see Topics section below
for more). It is permissible to reuse the text from your weekly assignment in its entirety as a foundation for
the final paper.
The final paper must be at least 6 pages long, but no more than 10 pages, including references.
Your paper must make an argument by presenting the conditions and premises of your topic and then
drawing a conclusion from a discussion. Unlike a scientific paper that presents the empirical results of a
research project, this is a critical-theoretical paper, which means that your main focus should be on the
discussion. You will use the insights and arguments presented in the class readings, as well as your own
experience and thoughts (including those you had doing the weekly assignments) to show why your
viewpoint has merit.
Paper contents
As we have gone through the semester, it is very likely that some of the topics we have discussed have
caused you to form (or reaffirm) at least one viewpoint related to communication technologies. In this
paper, you will present this viewpoint and make your case for why you are right.
Your paper should begin with an introduction and overview of the topic your viewpoint relates to. By
giving this overview, you will demonstrate that you have understood the whole topic sufficiently that you
can explain it to people who know very little about it. This should not be much more than a page.
Then proceed to a literature review. Here, you will present short summaries of the readings in class that
are related to your topic as well as the external sources you have chosen. This is where you can show that
you have understood the readings and the class lectures. You should cite the readings as sources rather
than the class lectures, but if the point you wish to reference was only talked about in class, consider the
slide PDF from that week a document you can cite like any other.
Think about it as laying out all the different viewpoints and research findings that scholars have presented
related to your topic so that you can relate your own viewpoint to theirs once you get into the discussion
section. For a good guide on how to write a literature review, see:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/writing_a_literature_review.ht
ml
The literature review should take up at least one third of the paper.
A note on sources: You may use (credible!) outside sources, but if there are class materials that cover the
same topic, you MUST reference those instead. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU EXHAUST THE CLASS
READINGS AS SOURCES FOR YOUR CLAIMS BEFORE RELYING ON OUTSIDE SOURCES. BE CERTAIN TO
ONLY USE ACADEMIC PAPERS AND HIGHLY CREDIBLE NEWS OUTLETS AS SOURCES TO SUBSTANTIATE YOUR
CLAIMS. Please note that if you write about something that was covered in class readings without citing
them, it will result in a severe points reduction, as it essentially shows that you have not read, engaged
with or understood the reading.
You should follow the literature review up with a discussion section. This should take up the bulk of your
paper, i.e., between one-third and half the paper.
In the discussion section, you will lay out the argument for your viewpoint. Using the sources you presented
in the literature review to support your claim, you should first present your viewpoint followed by a
presentation of arguments in favor of and against your viewpoint. In other words, you must analyze your
topic from at least two opposing perspectives, including one you don’t agree with. These arguments should
be rooted in the sources from the literature review and you can refer back to the sources in that section as
you go through the discussion.
This discussion should be a critical inquiry into the topic, i.e., you should interrogate the topic and discuss
matters that might cause societal harm or present problems for particular users. Relate the topic to the
real world, your own life, and see if you can connect it to any of the other topics fron class. Consider
aspects including ethics, legality and justice, social justice, fairness, equality, diversity, access, and
inclusion. It is completely valid to disagree with the authors from the class readings, as long as you
demonstrate why your viewpoint is better than theirs.
In the final section, the conclusion, you should summarize the previous discussion. Re-state the main
arguments from the discussion in a few sentences and re-explain briefly to the reader why the arguments in
favor of your viewpoint are superior to the arguments against it.
Practical information
Length: Between minimum 6, maximum 10 pages including references/bibliography, but excluding front
page matter and appendices.
Please Note:
§ A front page is helpful, but not required, as long as your name and the class number is
clearly stated with your paper’s title at the top of the first page.
§ You do not need to include an abstract.
§ Feel free to use illustrations, images, tables, etc., but put them in an appendix in the back
and refer to them in the main text, so they don’t count towards your page limit.
§ Use of first-person language (“I…”) in your paper is permitted – especially since you are
writing about your own views and experiences.
Format: Please use 12pt Times Roman and double-spacing throughout. Please submit .PDF or
.DOC(X) files only. No other file formats will be accepted.
Style: USC Annenberg’s Communication Management program requires that you write, cite, and reference
in the APA style. If you are uncertain about how to use this format, please go to:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guid
e/general_format.html
Deadline: April 25 (11:59pm)
All papers must be submitted via the link provided in the relevant folder in the Content section on
Blackboard. Do NOT use e-mail unless you cannot get the link to work!
Please feel free to contact me at mortench@usc.edu if you have any further questions.
TOPICS LIST
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Mediatization – how our social relations became media-dependent
The relation between technological and cultural determinisms
The telegraph’s good and bad role in transforming society
The role of electricity in early 20th century media: Radio, Telephone, Cinema, TV.
The invention of electronic computers and the role of women as “computers”
How undocumented workers helped build Silicon Valley
Human-Machine Communication – pros and cons of different approaches
The invention of the Internet and its colonial legacies
Unequal distribution of submarine Internet cables
Planned obsolescence of consumer electronics and the right to repair them
The problem of conflict minerals in consumer electronics
The capitalocene and the impact of consumer electronics on the environment
Streaming and the environment – how bad is it?
Platforms – power, money, and data
Algorithms in our day-to-day interactions with each other
The performative self and identity on social media
The mental health effects of being a datafied self on social media
The transition to digital payments – pros and cons
Socioeconomic and political aspects of digital labor and the gig economy
Generative AI vs the real world – training data bias and epistemic gaps
Pros and Cons of Virtual Reality for marginalized communities
Technological challenges facing news and journalism in the 21st century
The use of AI in news production – pros and cons
Dis/Misinformation as a societal problem
AI, machine learning, and race
AI, machine learning, and gender
AI, machine learning, and sexual orientation
AI, machine learning and (dis-)ability
AI, machine learning and socioeconomic inequality
Issues in privacy and surveillance capitalism
The privacy paradox – trading off privacy for convenience or other benefits
AI and democracy – pros and cons
Content moderation vs freedom of speech on social media
You may also suggest your own topic, but make sure to get approval from your instructor before
proceeding to write the paper.