Assignment 2, Part 2

We handed back assignment 2, part 2 in class last Thursday.

Here is the ‘key’ to the rubric:

1 – (1 point) topic area is clearly described
2 – (1 point) states the specific problem or problems you are engaging with
3 – (1 point) refers to one or more theoretical framework or concept from 203 that could inform your analysis
4 – (1 point) provides justification for why the problem is important
5 – (1 point) citations are listed, are appropriate, are complete.

The Art of Trolling: Knight, Jester, or Mole?

by Ryan Baker, Fred Chasen, Christina Pham, Rohan Salantry

A new study by Nottingham Trent University study describes “trolling” as “intentionally provoking or antagonizing users in an online environment” and found that 60% of gamers had engaged in this behavior[i]. However, the definition of what constitutes trolling has evolved as new opportunities to interact have developed online. The behavior now has several faces which depend on the community, and on the motivation of the trolling user. Anonymous users of low social standing may troll to disrupt existing communities, whereas community members of high social standing may use trolling to alienate new users, behavior that could be described as bullying. Internet groups sometimes act collectively to troll other communities or targets to make political statements, or simply for amusement. This essay will examine several of these different troll types, and the motivations behind them.

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Where do the children play?

By Colin, Vanessa, and Jacob

Is today’s Facebook really the new MySpace? Is it a networked public that plays a crucial role in the development and performance of teen identities? Or has it become an extension of an age-segregated culture where parents aggressively constrain their children’s behavior? In this blog post, we discuss key differences between Facebook and MySpace that may lead Facebook to play a very different role in teen’s lives than MySpace did when danah boyd wrote “Why Youth Heart Social Network Sites.” We focus on Facebook’s features and use today, instead of Facebook at the time MySpace was popular.
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Exemplary Examples from Assignment 1

Here are a few (anonymized) answers from assignment 1 that received a perfect score.

answer for question 1 – using Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers) and Fischer’s User Heuristic approach

another answer for question 1 – using Actor-Network Theory (Latour) and Fischer’s User Heuristic approach (with brief mention of Bijker/SCOT)

answer for question 2 – using Social Construction of Technology (Bijker) and Actor-Network Theory (Latour)

answer for question 3 – using Fischer’s user heuristic approach and Social Construction of Technology (Bijker)