Revised COP3 Proposal

Over the course of the summer my proposal for COP3 has changed direction. From the impact of zines on the feminist movement I have jumped to looking at the impact of social media on human interaction. This may seem like quite a leap from my previous essays but part of my research over the past two years has looked at the impact that social media has on body image and self perception. I would now like to expand this area of research and look at the impact that social media and digital technologies have on our day-to-day lives and our social interactions.

I have so far highlighted a few books of interest alongside some online journals with articles written on my subject matter. I have been in touch with Professor Ben Light who specialises in digital communication and their impacts. We are currently in correspondence about research and will be setting up a skype call at some point to help further the direction of my research. I feel that at this point my research question is still rather broad but that further reading will help me to pin-point my exact point of focus. I would still like to be able to bring in some element of DIY culture into this module and feel that this could be possible by exploring zines as a form of communication in the practical aspect of COP3. This could include creating a selection of zines that explore online phenomena that could draw influence from my research, essay writing, personal experience and the experiences of others.

Context and Themes: Books
- Alone Together - Sherry Turkle
- Disconnecting with Social Networking Sites - Ben Light
- Social Media: A Critical Introduction - Christian Fuchs
- The Cyber Effect - Mary Aiken
- Its Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens - Danah Boyd

Context and Themes: Websites
- New Media and Society http://journals.sagepub.com/home/nms
- Social Media and Society http://journals.sagepub.com/home/sms
- The Impact of Social Media Use On Social Skills http://newyorkbehavioralhealth.com/the-impact-of-social-media-use-on-social-skills
- The Impact of Digital Technologies on Human Wellbeing http://www.nominettrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/NT%20SoA%20-%20The%20impact%20of%20digital%20technologies%20on%20human%20wellbeing.pdf