Reference no: EM133750011

Task: This two-part essay will help develop your research skills (literature review) as well as your capacity for critical thinking. Both parts of this essay revolve around weekly readings and your lectures with the aim of helping you practice independent research and the articulation of a strong argument. We expect you to reference academic sources in Harvard Style and include an alphabetically ordered reference list; the list is not included in the word count.

Choose one topic and question set from the list below. Answer parts a) and b) for that one topic-question set, which are explained here:
a. Literature review (word count: 1,500 words): critically compare three texts on your general topic; choose two texts from the module's reading list, and one academic text found through your own independent research which is not on the reading list. Critically evaluate the three academic texts for your topic and contrast them.

b. Answering the question with a case study that focuses on one app (word count: 2,500 words):

Analyse one specific app (or piece of software) that you argue can be used as a case study to answer the question. You need to draw on academic literature (you can use sources introduced in the literature review but should add further research) as well as other relevant sources about this app. You should use elements of the 'walkthrough method' (Light, Burgess, and Duguay 2018) to critically reflect on how this app functions.

Topic list (choose 1)

Topic A: Music streaming OR video streaming

Question A: How have streaming apps affected popular culture?

Topic B: Digital Humanitarianism

Question B: Do digital technologies make responses to humanitarian crises or development issues more effective?

Topic C: Digital shopping, marketing and consumption

Question C: How do features of consumption apps shape experiences of users in ways that empower or control them?

Topic D: Digital health and wellbeing

Question D: How do apps relate to individuals' health and wellbeing?

Topic E: Digital finance

Question E: How do finance apps or services change the nature of exchange?

Topic F: Digital sexuality

Question F: How do apps shape people's intimate relationships in emancipatory or restrictive ways?

Topic G: Digital Play and Gamification

Question G: Why are digital games cultures important in modern societies?

opic H: Digital art

technologies?

Question H: How can digital artworks (apps, games, digital works) enable the critical exploration of digital technologies?