#IlliniSocialJ Spring 2019 (AKA JOUR460: Special Topics)
Professor: Nikki Usher, Ph.D.
Twitter: @nikkiusher
Office hours: MW 1–2:00pm, Greg 232; Class MW 2:00PM — 03:20PM , RM 113
How to use this online document:
*To skip to readings, Control F for Course Readings. Course readings due on date listed.
*Most PDF readings will be on Slideshare. To use a Slideshare PDF, look below the document’s image and you will see three buttons: like, share, and download. Download so you don’t hurt your eyes.
*All readings are linked on this document. Please alert me to any missing or corrupted links. NOTE: Reading lengths are estimated based on double-spaced page word count or a publication’s estimated reading time; podcast/video lengths indicated.
Course Description: This course will help the student develop an understanding of how social media works and explore the impact of social media on society. The student will gain a better understanding of how social media is used to promote journalism and reach a broader audience and the ways social media can also be used to undermine public discourse (and journalism).
Expanded course description: Today’s media environment has been saturated by so much confusion around social media. One day, it’s fake news being spread by Macedonian teenagers. The next day, you hear your social data was used to selectively target you for not just any old ads but political advertising designed to trigger you into voting a certain way. You hear that YouTube is a cesspool for conspiracy. Then you wake up to news accusations that Twitter has been suppressing political content, especially from the right. Our current president uses Twitter as a platform for announcing policy and putting forward his strategy, disrupting the way that journalists have to cover the White House (not to mention report on the financial markets).
Meanwhile, you might hear that social media companies are destroying journalism, yet somehow you’re supposed to also know social media secrets, especially when it comes to making your own news stories go viral. Every day, you hear there’s some new hot social media tool, and you know that a newsroom is likely to be among the first and earliest adopters. You’ve been told to get on Twitter and “build your brand” but need some extra guidance. And while you know you’re supposed to be aware of social media “fakes” like shark photos in hurricane waters, you don’t *exactly* know how to verify this type of content.
What’s a young, aspiring communicator supposed to do with this mess? Well, learn about it! Yes, you will learn skills in this class. But skills and tools come and go. More importantly, you will learn what you need to know about the macro issues social media presents for journalism today. And you will also come to see that social media more than about navigating a platform professionally. Rather, social media represents a chance to rethink journalism and a new opportunity for learning and for listening.
Now has never been a better time to learn about journalism — and social media’s role in journalism is of critical importance. Journalism may be in crisis, at least in the popular imagination, but a vast number of scholars and media insiders do dispute this idea (including me). If you want to be an informed, engaged, and literate member of the populace, understanding how social media works in society is critical.
Learning Outcomes:
- By the end of this class, you should be able to explain how social media is changing the job of journalists.
- By the end of this class, you should understand how newsrooms are using social media and you should be able to critique and to provide suggestions for them.
- By the end of this class you should know how better use social media, including for personal branding, reporting and news gathering, and for community engagement. You should know how to verify social media content.
- By the end of this class, you should be able to explain what happened and why in the first paragraph of the expanded course description — in other words, you should have excellent knowledge about how social media influences (and can corrupt) our our news and information ecosystem.
The course is divided into three sections. The first aims to introduce you to the wider issues related to social media and journalism today. The second section focuses on the changes and the challenges to our media ecosystem. The third section is all about the different types of platforms and skills you’ll need to advance your career, including insight into information security.
University Boilerplate
Attendance
As the UIUC Student Code states your attendance and participation is expected.
See: (http://admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/article1_part5_1-501.html).
In addition to the expectations of the Code, it’s just common sense that attendance is essential to doing well in the course. Missing class means missing material not found in the readings alone. If you miss class, get notes from a classmate. I do not recap lectures in email or in office hours, nor can “flipped” assignments be made up. I am more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt if you come regularly and I do not need excuse notes.
Academic Integrity
Please review and reflect on the academic integrity policy of the University of Illinois, http://admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/article1_part4_1-401.html to which we subscribe. By turning in materials for review, you certify that all work presented is your own and has been done by you independently, or as a member of a designated group for group assignments.
If, in the course of your writing, you use the words or ideas of another writer, proper acknowledgement must be given. Not to do so is to commit plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty. If you are not absolutely clear on what constitutes plagiarism and how to cite sources appropriately, now is the time to learn. Please ask me!
Please be aware that the consequences for plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will be severe. Students who violate university standards of academic integrity are subject to disciplinary action, including a reduced grade, failure in the course, and suspension or dismissal from the University.
Statement of Inclusion
http://www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu/chancellordivstmtswf.html#ValueStmt
As the state’s premier public university, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s core mission is to serve the interests of the diverse people of the state of Illinois and beyond. The institution thus values inclusion and a pluralistic learning and research environment, one in which we respect the varied perspectives and lived experiences of a diverse community and global workforce. We support diversity of worldviews, histories, and cultural knowledge across a range of social groups including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, abilities, economic class, religion, and their intersections.
Disability Statement
To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the course instructor and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. To contact DRES you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 333–4603 (V/TTY), or e-mail a message to disability@uiuc.edu.
Related student needs & concerns
Religious Accommodations: Please see here
Support & Self-Care: Physical and mental well-being are super important. Full stop. I am not qualified to assist you, but others are. Please see McKinley Health Center’s Mental Health Services or make an appointment at the UIUC Counseling Center (Emergency link here). Do not hesitate to contact the Student Assistance Center. Common reasons to reach out include: Academic difficulty due to physical or mental health issues; Extenuating life circumstances impacting academic performance and/or overall functioning; Seeking assistance finding or getting connected to support services on campus; Medical withdrawal and re-entry; To report a concern about the well-being or safety of themselves, another student, or the broader community; Seeking information about university policies and procedures; Difficulty with a professor or TA; Absence letters; Not sure where else to go. If you’re hungry and/or don’t have a place to sleep, see here- local campus food pantry options include these (via 2016). To report sexual misconduct, resources here.
Security: In the case of an emergency, if at all possible, the class should shelter in place. If the building that the class is in is affected, follow the evacuation procedures for the building. After evacuation, seek shelter at a predetermined rendezvous location.
FERPA: FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. When a student enrolls in an institution of higher education, he or she becomes subject to the FERPA regulations that govern all colleges and universities. Regardless of age, a student enrolled in a college or university must provide consent to any third party requesting access to his or her education records. A student’s education record may only be released to parents or other third parties under the following conditions listed in the guidance.
Time Spent on Class Work: UIUC federal credit hour definition: A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:
(1) one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) at least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.
Note: If you find yourself spending more than 12 hours for any typical week on this course, please see me. Note this is a 3 credit class.
OUR Course Policies
Approach to Teaching & My Expectations for You
Overall, my teaching philosophy might be summed up like this: you’re adults, it’s my job to inspire you to learn, but I can’t force you to do anything. I also believe that learning should be an active process — I’m not a big fan of just lecturing (and in fact, research shows that lecturing is often ineffective). But this means that you also have to be engaged and active in your learning process — the more you put in, the more you will get.
I am a big fan of college students and remember my college experience warmly (and from 2016–2018, lived in an 800-person dorm with my family!). As a result, I’m fairly reasonable when it comes to understanding the demands and difficulties outside the classroom. I am deeply committed to encouraging a quality experience here at Illinois both inside and outside the classroom.
Please treat both me and your classmates as if you were in a professional, work setting. This means having integrity, being inclusive and civil to your colleagues, and taking responsibility for your decisions. Please treat all digital communications seriously, with the knowledge that they will live on the internet, potentially forever.
Everyone in this class can get an A if they work. For some suggestions about study habits, please see this Vox article.
Communication Policy: I am generally quite responsive to emails, but if I have not responded in 48 hours, do ping me again. If the question is complicated and requires more than a two sentence explanation, please see me in my office. If one of your questions is in the syllabus, I will tell you: look in the syllabus. If one of your questions is on the assignment, I will tell you: look on the assignment. It’s a life skill to be able to look for information on your own. For future reference: how to email your professor. (PS, my honorific is Dr. or Professor, not Ms.) I expect to see professional emails from you, but I may often respond with just a quick yes or no and on my phone.
Laptop and Mobile/Smartwatch Policy: It’s your choice as all the research points out that laptops and phones hurt academic performance. But this is a social media class, so there is a case for having one of these devices. I am well-versed in spotting people who aren’t paying attention — again, meaningful participation is what matters.
Late Work: Generally not tolerated, but there are exceptions
Inclusion and Civility:
You may be offended at some point in the semester, be emotionally challenged by a reading or a discussion, or have other discomfort in the classroom related to much larger structural and societal issues. You’re in journalism or otherwise have enrolled in a class in this department. As an instructor, I will do my best to honor our respective differences and embrace our similarities, but I will not always be perfect. I’ll do my best, and if there is something I can do better, please see me. I do not specifically request you to identify your gender, race, ethnicity, but if you have an identity preference or pronoun that you think I should be aware of, let me know.
At times, there will be frank conversations about race, gender, ethnicity, violence, sexual assault, etc. that may be painful, frustrating, or even offensive to you. Note that given your chosen career, there are no trigger warnings. Do your best to figure out how to deal with the fact that sometimes, the world is not a pretty or a fair place.
Video/Audio: I might ask you to watch videos or podcasts on your own time that we will discuss in class. These will be available online as directed in the syllabus.
Weekly Twitter assignment:
You are expected to contribute two original tweets a week relevant to social media. A third tweet should be in conversation with something your classmate has posted. Memes, smart articles, fun stuff, trend pieces, news stories, fun and games and serious work. If you do not wish to use your personal Twitter account, please set up one for the purposes of this class. Your account must be set to public.
Our class hashtag is #IlliniSocialJ
Sample tweets: This article LINK on instagram’s new sharing policies makes me feel creepy about using it: link (either automatically shortened or use bit.ly) #IlliniSocialJ
Sample tweet in response to classmate:
@nikkiusher that [link] was a creepy story. What do you think about Snapchat’s new rise to prominence? (New Link, or leave it at that) ##IlliniSocialJ
Or: I totally agree with @nikkiusher. I’m not going to go to [link] anymore. #IlliniSocialJ
REMEMBER TO USE THE CLASS HASHTAG!! NO CREDIT, NO EXCEPTIONS W/O HASHTAG
There are a number of dashboards that make it incredibly easy to follow conversations via hashtags. You can rely on Twitter, but you can also use Tweetdeck (here is a tutorial: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-TweetDeck). At the beginning of the semester, I will pass out your classmates’ twitter handles and create a Twitter list.
Your three tweets are due on Sunday at 7 p.m. Please send me a screenshot of them at this time. Your tweets are graded with a check plus/check/check minus.
Grading:
Part 1- Test: 30%
Part 2- Test: 20%
Part 3: Test: 30%
Future of Social Media Paper: 10%
Tweeting & daily assignments/exercises: 10%
I reserve the right, with your consent, to modify this grading scale in order to adjust to the needs of students and the course. I reserve the right to give pop quizzes if I notice attendance or attention to reading dwindling — this will be in the 10% tweets/daily assignment category.
Note: after the first test, you may propose to me an alternative independent assignment in lieu of test three.
READINGS
Part I: What Social Media Means for Journalism — Skills
Here’s what you think you signed up for the course to do, finally: a really deep dive into excellence on platforms. You should emerge from this section of the class fully ready to run a social media strategy and audience engagement team at the newsroom of your choosing. Certainly, the platforms may change, but realistically, we haven’t seen as much movement as you’d think. However the platform’s approach to news is certainly changing — and that’s hard to navigate (Part I and II of the course should help). Note that this section of the course relies a lot a “flipped classroom.” What I mean by this is that we’ll have a number of exercises that expect you to have spent time reading/watching/listening to acquire the skills and we’ll then go straight into application and examples in class. Much of this work will occur in groups or with a partner. Your participation grade from this part of the semester is more heavily weighted — if you show up and aren’t prepared, you are hurting other people’s learning as well.
1/14: Intro to the History of the Internet and Internet Culture
*I don’t treat the first day of class as syllabus day!
Suggested reading: What is Social Media — (this article has been cited almost 9,000 times!); Boyd and Ellison, 2013 (characteristics of social media)
By the end of this class, you should have a basic understanding of how the internet came to be and what it is now, roughly what is in common with all social media networks, and the basic vocabulary of social media.
Assignment 1: Set up your Twitter account by class time on 1/16. Your first tweets are due Sunday, Jan. 20 at 7 pm and must be sent with a screenshot to me via email as well. No class hashtag, no credit.
1/16: What is Happening to News?
Read: The Platform Press: executive summary (9 pp.); State of an uncomfortable union (15 pp.)
Check out Pew: Social Media Use in 2018 and Pew- News Use Across Social Media (2017) — look at stats and bold headers (10 min)
By the end of this class, you should be able to describe how the professional news industry has been profoundly shaken by the rise of social media and how audiences rely on social media to get their news.
1/21: MLK Day Jr.
NOTE: No class — 1/23
1/28: What Do Journalists Need to Know?
CLASS IN NORMAL CLASSROOM
Jobs: The rise of the engagement editor (8 pp); How US journalists use social media: five archetypes (7 pp); How Twitter changed sports journalism (note, Canadian focus, but very extensive and useful. Go Leafs!?) (24 pp.)
After this class, you should be able to explain the social media skills needed, the rise of new jobs in journalism, and the way that old jobs have changed to adapt to social media.
1/30: Workshop day #1: Twitter for Journalism
Best tutorial out there (24 pp); Best Practices for Journalists (2 pp); From 2014, but not much has changed (how to win friends and influence followers) (2pp); How David Farenthold Used Twitter to Break Some of the Most Important Stories of 2016 Election (3pp)
In this class, you should be prepared to evaluate the efforts of journalists & take a look at your own potential.
2/4: Workshop day #2: Advanced Twitter
How to livetweet events (7 min read); How to use Twitter moments (9 min); Ways to use Twitter moments for journalists (4 min); How to create Twitter lists (2 pp).
Very important: How to think about the patterns of inequity within Twitter! (My stuff on gender 8 pp); What it’s Like when Elon Musk’s Twitter Mob Comes After You? (8 pp)
In class, you may be expected to curate a Twitter moment and/or livetweet.
Very important: How to think about the patterns of inequity within Twitter! (My stuff on gender 8 pp); What it’s Like when Elon Musk’s Twitter Mob Comes After You? (8 pp)
In class, you may be expected to curate a Twitter moment and/or livetweet.
2/6: Workshop Day #3: Snapchat/Instagram
*Identify one journalist or news organization using IG well, and send me the account name by 2/6 at 9 AM.
Best IG guide ever (5pp); How publishers can use instagram (4 pp); Quick tips for crafting stories (2 pp); Tips from high-reach instagrammers; Get Snapjournalism famous! (2pp); A great Snapstory (3 min); How Snapchat can make you a better storyteller (4pp); Snapchat for journalism (a guide); Is Snapchat Dying? (8pp).
If you’ve never used IG, see here.
2/11: Workshop day #5: Facebook for Journalism
Guest visitor: Kristin Walters, WILL engagement journalist.
Note: You’re going to have to sign up for Facebook’s Blueprint software — from there you will be able to search for/access these links (Try here!). These links below are titles for the videos and may not direct you without the Blueprint login & FB open.
Complete (and send me certificate) — How journalists can best use FB & IG (15 min); Connect and Engage with Your Audience Using Facebook Live (15 min); Immersive Storytelling with Facebook 360 (15 mins); Using Facebook Groups to Engage Your Audience (20 min)
After this class, you should have some insight into ways to use Facebook professionally as a social media manager for a newsroom.
2/13: Workshop day #5: Augmenting the Visual Web
Why add graphics? How to if not a designer? (8pp); Other good tips with excellent links (~9pp); Making Charts (and how) (9pp); Play with Giphy and Adobe Spark; Playing with Piktochart (guide)
In class: you will be asked to create some visuals-including an infographic.
2/18: Workshop #6: Using Reddit in Reporting/Listening, Using CC content for photos
Listen: Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet (00:53:05, listen at 2x speed); Scan: https://www.reddit.com/user/washingtonpost; Reddit and breaking news (11 min read); Check out creative commons photos; Imagur
In class, we’ll also learn to use (or not to use) Reddit as the front page of the Internet.
2/20: First exam
2/25: Catching up on Reddit
2/27: Engagement Part I: How do you do this right?
Visit: Niala Boodho, host of The 21st
Drew DeVigal — The Continuum of Engagement (3 pp); Read case studies from ProPublica Illinois — Defining Downstate (3pp); Responses to Defining Downstate (6pp); ProPublica — How We Collected Nearly 5,000 Stories of Maternal Harm ; Understanding Hearken (p. 7)
After this class, you should be able to explain what engagement is and how engagement compliments/extends/reflects a philosophy that underpins newsroom’s social and non-social audience efforts.
After this class, you’ll have had an overview of what social listening means, with an intro to very free tool-based shortcuts. We’ll practice listening.
3/4: Investigative Journalism on Social Media
The “oppo” research of Twitter in journalism (5 pp). How to search a Facebook timeline (vid, 00:05:37, scroll to bottom). How to internet sleuth, generally (4 pp).
3/6: How Do You Listen?
Baseline listening overview (9 pp); How to monitor social media in 10 minutes a day (26 pp, well-designed!); How to use Tweetdeck & How to Use it for Breaking News (00:02:30); Newsgathering with FB Search (00:01:55); Don’t be an AskHole (7 pp); Robinson: When Tragedy Strikes, What Do You Owe Sources? (5pp);
3/11: Screech! Verify before you publish!
First Draft Checklists for Verification (00:04:06); Note that some of the exact places to hunt for these specialized tools on each platform’s user experience may have changed, but the underlying concept & tools will still be there; Reverse Image Searching w/ Google (00:00:42); Verifying accounts (00:01:43); Checking the upload time of an Insta Post (00:00:43); Verification Handbook (10 pp); Verification Case Studies (2016) (10 pp)
After this class, you should be able to understand why verification matters & how to do some basic verification on your own!
3/13: Comments: Is this the end?
News-Gazette Ending Comments (2018), (1 pp) No Comment: Why More News Sites are Dumping Their Comment Sections (8pp); Behind the Demise of Comment Sections (8pp); What Do Frequent Commenters Want? (11 pp); check out! The Coral Project!
After this class, you should have some idea of best practices for engaging via comments sections (and some idea of drawbacks).
3/25: Linked In w/the best
LinkedIn wants to make original journalism! (2pp); Note, the LinkedIn for Journalism group is closed but post offers key advantages of using the platform (1 pp); LinkedIn for Reporting (and building your profile) (2pp); Resources from #usctrojans (#fighton): Building a great student profile (1p); Building a great profile, continued (2p); Etiquette (1p); Be a joiner (1p). Additional ideas: 10 tips (including for students) to build their journalism profile
Visit with Jessica Hogue of Career Services. SET UP YOUR LINKEDIN account before class, please! BRING YOUR LAPTOP !!
3/27: Virality & Spreadability
-Why do things spread: Henry Jenkins: Spreadable Media (26 pp); Valley of Ambiguity (4pp); What a Buzzfeed social media editor does all day (5pp)
Listen NPR: How I built this (00:49:33)
By the end of this class, you should be able to explain *why* things spread and how the rise of Buzzfeed marked a sea-change in social journalism.
Part II: Our (Maybe) Corrupted (Social Media) Information System
Among the most disheartening aspects of the future of the web and new technology is the increasing power of large technology companies that influence what we see on social media. This gets particularly concerning in an era of hyper-partisanship and social divisions. But if we are to look for a solution to make public discourse healthy and vibrant, social media is an excellent way to bridge divides. Social media, too, helps bring to light the struggles of marginalized groups; however, there are ways that social media can amplify inequities. This section of the syllabus will aim to help you understand the role social media and social media companies play in our wider news and information ecosystem.
4/1: Polarization and Filter Bubbles
My new model (w. Bob Entman) — tough, try and focus on understanding what we’re saying about how information travels (8 pp); How Filter Bubbles Distort Reality (14 min reading); The parallel lives of Trump followers, journalists, and the issues they care about (4 pp); How Twitter bots create political feuds (4 pp); But do they? (Academic literature review via Hewitt Foundation, p. 15–21 only!)
By the end of this class, you should be able to explain the role of partisanship and information siloing in the social media and information context.
4/3: Virtual Exam
4/8: Dis/Misinformation & Fake News
The Real History of Fake News; Fake News, it’s complicated! (6 pp, 6 min); Lies Damn Lies and Viral Content (just executive summary, 2 pp); Six types of fake news seen in the 2016 election (6 pp); Silverman: Fake News Outperforms Real News (8 pp); WATCH: Fake News- Real Consequences (00:55:58).
4/15: How Voices (Do? Don’t?) Get Heard (Marginalization & Amplification)
Black Twitter (13 min read); How Twitter can Empower the Opposition in Authoritarian Forces (4 pp); Networked News; Racial Divides (excerpt here).
4/17- 4/22: The Internet; Social Media; It broke.
Algorithms of Oppression (See scanned section); Google is broken (3pp); Cambridge Analytica Scandal, Explained (3 pp);YouTube and its role (2 pp); Alt-right on the Web (4 pp); Deep fakes: (watch 00:01:12); Watch both videos here — first on Whoppers and second, below, on Zuckerberg and Facebook testimony. (~00:05:50);
Facebook’s Hate Speech & Censorship Rules (16 pp); Should Facebook and Twitter be Regulated under the First Amendment? (16 pp); Fighting Online Abuse Shouldn’t Be Left to the Victims (4 pp); How all tech platforms are pawns in the culture war (5 pp)
Part III: Skills & Self in Social Media and Journalism (and beyond)
Now, you’re completely equipped to have a substantive conversation about what social media means for journalism and journalists- you know how to moderate a conversation and how to engage without being an askhole. You know how to listen and verify social media content. You also now know what virality means and what the costs and consequences of going viral may well be. You know what social media means to the future of news and our information system, and as a result, you can navigate its worst qualities. You know how this fake news and misinformation happens and who is vulnerable. And you also now know how communities have opportunities to develop and flourish thanks to new tools — and as a good journalist, you should be able to tap these communities for new ideas and engage with them. In this final section of the course, we will address where social media is moving in journalism and what digital issues are presenting themselves at the forefront of the future of journalism.
4/24: The Social Money Web
check out: Public by Default: Venmo Stories; LISTEN: Follow the Money (00:19:33). LISTEN: Blockchain, Block-Wha? (00:25:26); Blockchain journalism (3pp)
By the end of this class, you should be able to explain what cryptocurrency is, why it’s social, and what it means for journalism.
4/29: InfoSec
Extremely detailed guide (which needs some updating, 2012) from the Committee to Protect Journalists (26 pp); Helpful (00:58:00) video midway through this detailed tipsheet (scan, 8pp).
At the end of this class: you will have two-factor authentication on your apps& know why.
5/1: Last test (virtual)
Final paper due 5/6
