It has become common to claim that we live in a new kind of society and a historically distinctive era: the information society, the digital age. That changes in media technologies have produced a profound revolution in our everyday lives as well as in our larger social,cultural, economic and political structures.

Despite the long history of communication, it seems that contemporary digital technologies have not only transformed how we use media, but have made media more central than ever to human civilization. Focusing on a series of key words in digital culture studies, this course asks: how can we make sense of these developments in communication technologies, and what are their implications for self and society? What is the impact of technological change on personal identity, social relationships, and political behavior? Is professional journalism viable or even necessary in an age of tweets, blogs and increasing numbers of amateur news images? Are new media really so new, and what happens to ‘old’ media like photography, television, books and music in a digital culture? And what might it mean for us to be perpetually available to others – and subject to perpetual surveillance by others - through mobile media?