Digital Creativity and New Media Management

Convener: Soo Hee Lee
Assessment: An essay (25%, 2,500 words) – deadline 6th April 2012, Absolute Cut-Off deadline 27th April 2012, A two-hour examination (75%)

Aims

The aims of this module are:

• to provide a comprehensive understanding of digital convergence, remediation and innovation in terms of theory, method and practice;
• to identify key factors for creativity and innovation that propel the structural transformation in the digital economy;
• to understand the different analytical frameworks for understanding the transformation of old and new media in the digital economy; and
• to evaluate different business models and strategies of existing firms and new ventures

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, students will be able:

• to develop and analyse research questions in the area of digital business strategy and policy issues, and to collect and analyse relevant secondary empirical data;
• to evaluate business models and performance of new ventures as well as established firms in the media industry; and
• to develop critical capacity to carry out case studies and to assess business, policy and research implications.

Content

Digital technologies have become a unique source of value creation in the 21st century. Computer-mediated simulated environments and online social networking media offer unprecedented opportunities for innovating new platforms and tools that enhance collaborative practices and creative thinking that can lead to both autonomous and interactive learning on a global scale. This course will introduce key debates on digital convergence, remediation and innovation, while examining their implications for cultural life and business strategies. In this course, students will appreciate the synergy that exists between different academic disciplines as well as between different functions and hierarchies of the organisation. Furthermore, students will be encouraged extend their understanding of the interaction between technology, design and strategy to the contexts of communities, cities, nations and the cyberspace. Case studies will be used to facilitate discussions.

Background reading

• Benkler, Y. (2006) The Wealth of Networks. New Heaven, CT: Yale University Press.
• Bolter, J. D. and Gromala, D. (2003), Windows and Mirrors: Interaction Design, Digital Art, and the Myth of Transparency, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Castells, M. (2001), Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business and Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• McLuhan, M. (1964), Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, New York: New
• American Library Inc.
• Leadbeater, C. and Miller, P. (2004) The Pro-Am Revolution, London: Demos.
• Levy, P. (1997) Collective Intelligence: Mankind's Emerging World in Cyberspace, Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books.
• Manovich, L. (2001), The Language of New Media, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Rheingold, H. (2000) The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Tapscott, D. & Williams, A. D. (2006) Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, Portfolio.