Objective

The midterm assignment is a project proposal designed to ensure that you have a solid foundation for your semester-long digital ethnography project. By this point, you should have a well-defined topic, a clear plan for your final presentation format, and an understanding of the theoretical frameworks you will engage with. This proposal will allow you to articulate your project’s direction and receive feedback to help guide your research and analysis for the rest of the semester.

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Submit your proposal as a written document via the course eLearning platform. The proposal should be approximately ~800 words (three to four pages.

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Proposal Instructions:

1. Topic Selection and Justification (~200 words):

• Topic: Clearly state the online community, platform, or media object you have chosen to study.
• Justification: Provide a brief explanation (approximately 200-300 words) of why you selected this topic. Discuss the cultural significance of the community or media object and how it relates to the themes of our course. Address how the platform or technology influences the interactions within this space.

2. Presentation Format (~100 Words):

• Chosen Format: Identify the format you plan to use for your final project (e.g., traditional paper, podcast, video essay, interactive website, digital artwork).
• Rationale: Explain why you believe this format is the most effective way to present your findings. Discuss how the chosen format will help convey the insights of your digital ethnography and how it aligns with your research goals.

3. Theoretical Framework (~300 Words):

• Theory Identification: Identify at least two theoretical concepts or frameworks from our course readings that will guide your analysis. These could include, for example, McLuhan’s theory of media as extensions, Marcuse’s critique of technological rationality, or Deleuze’s ideas on control societies.
• Application: Provide a brief summary (4 sentences) of each source, highlighting how it will contribute to your project. Discuss how you plan to apply these concepts to analyze the behaviors, interactions, and cultural practices within your chosen digital space. Be specific about how you see the theory connecting with your observations and what you aim to discover or prove.

5. Timeline (~100 words):

• Project Plan: Outline a brief timeline (approx. 150 words) of your research and production process for the remainder of the semester. This should include key milestones such as continued observations, data collection, analysis, and the creation of your final project.