INTRO to NEW MEDIA / prof. s.a.

katz
ISSUE PRESENTATION & REPORT
midterm project
worth 200 points
due at our 2nd in-person meeting:
Wed., March 5, 6-8:30 p.m.
in the Library Room 502

Project Overview
• Select from one of four topic choices below.
• Post the topic you chose to the Discussion Forum marked
“Midterm Topics.”
This is on a first-come, first-served basis. No more than four
people will be allowed to select ONE topic. If you see four people
have already staked their claim to a topic, please choose another
topic.
• Write a paper of a minimum of 1,250 words.
• Use a minimum of 10 web sources and include a separate
Bibliography page with the URLS. These links must be
clickable when you post your report in your blog.
• We will present the topics in a panel discussion format so there is
no re-duplication of the information discussed. Rather, one
person will start to speak about a particular aspect of the
research and others will add facts and comments as we move
along. It’s an organic process; it flows based on the content and
discussion provided.
• Each group will present for about 30 minutes.
• Each person must have ready 3-5 hard-hitting, thought-
provoking questions on the topic, Please include a separate
sheet in your written report with your questions.
• You are expected to share URLs of interest in your presentation.
We’ll have the projector there and you’ll call up different sites to
discuss and demonstrate your material to us, as needed.
• Either bring your URLs on removable media or post them to
the Discussion Forum marked “Your Topic/Midterm Projects
Resources” so we can easily retrieve them on the night of the
reports.
• Post your written report on your blog before Wed., March
5 at 6 p.m. and bring a hard copy to class. Do not turn in
loose pages; your score will be reduced.
Please, when you cut and paste your reports to your blogs,
please go to a lot of trouble to make the report look good

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 and appear with decent formatting on your blog. It is so
hideous when the alignment and spacing gets screwed up in
making this transfer. Please, make the report appear
aesthetically sound on your blog or you will lose points.
• Very Important…to any cut and pasters/plagiarizers– if you’re
not familiar with www.turnitin.com
introduce yourself to this. All reports will be taken and run
through this program to check for plagiarism. It is fine to
use quotes when attributed to its source, but everything else
must be in your own words or face the consequences on your
grade.
• If you want to include handouts at your presentation, please
make 16 copies.
The Topics
Here’s an overview of each topic. Answer all these questions. But
remember this is just a base from where to begin. As you extensively
research your topic, you will find much additional information you’d
like to report upon and share.

The 2008 Presidential Election & the Internet

The Pew Research Center cites the Internet “living up to its potential
as a major source for news about the presidential campaign.” The
Center offers a comparative look at the impact of the Internet for
news from 2000-2008 and the generational divide that surrounds it
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=384
But this is just one of the many articles on this subject.

Observe and discuss these questions and observations.

Embellish the points below with other discussion thoughts
and questions as you conduct your research:
• Study how the Internet has made an impact on the 2008 race
for Prescient of the U.S.
• What impact has the use of the web had on the Presidential
race so far – trace this back to the full field of candidates from
the beginning.
• To which target groups does it make its greatest impact?
• How have the candidates use all kinds of new media to get
their message across – i.e.: their websites, blogs, podcasts,
video online, online town meetings, announcing their events,
seeking volunteers mobilizing states, fundraising and in other
ways?
• Give examples of the candidates (even those who have
dropped out) – what works and does not work in their Internet

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 presence?....in terms of the content, the look and feel of their
sites, its navigation, etc.
• Look at Internet-conducted presidential polls and surveys; look
at podcast and blogs and videos that have been used and
discuss.
• Have ready to show us in class; examples of candidates’ online
presence so you can walk us through it. Remember again, do
not just include who is left in the race – take it back to the
beginning of both the Republican and Democrat primaries.
• Talk and show us blogs and news sites where political opinion
and surveys on the race to the White House seems to wield
great influence.
• How has the advent of this online presence in recent years
affected the Presidential elections and all elections in general?
• Offer a brief history of the Campaign for President and the use
of the Internet.
• How have the major and alterative news sites organized
information about presidential election politics for their users?
Show and give us examples.
• Read this article about “Twitter” and see how journalists are
delivering snippets, just comments from inside presidential
elections events ….show us examples and explain what impact
this can and does have – who seems to be the audience for
this?
http://www.cyberjournalist.net/the-birth-of-
microjournalism/#more-3909

Internet Addiction
from http://www.addictionrecov.org/intwhat.htm
”Internet addiction is described as an impulse control
disorder which does not involve use of an intoxicating drug and is
very similar to pathological gambling…. Internet addiction results in
personal, family, academic, financial and occupational problems that
are characteristic of other addictions.”

And, this definition is just the tip of the iceberg.

Observe and discuss these questions and observations.
Embellish the points below with other discussion thoughts
and questions as you conduct your research:
• What is Internet Addiction?
• How do people become addicted?
• What kinds of addictions are there – i.e.: social networking,
chronic online dating sites, gambling sites, gaming sites,
shopping sites, pornographic sites, etc. Explain specific

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 examples and stories of people who fell into these niche
addictions.
• Explain how the Internet is a socially connecting medium
but at the same time is completely isolating and can be a
breeding ground for addictions to develop.
• What survey and studies have been done on Internet
Addiction?
• What is being done to help Internet addicts?
• How do you know if you’re addicted?
• Why is this detrimental to a person’s life? How does it
affect society and our culture?
• What does the mesmerizing effect of the Internet mean for
our culture and the generations of children raised on
Internet as a major medium?

E-Commerce
Ecommerce is more than just selling goods like clothing, books,
cell phones and camera you and I might buy. And it’s more than just
going to a website and buying from that site’s shopping cart.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_commerce
“A wide variety of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and
drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain
management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing,
electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems,
and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic
commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point
in the transaction's lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider
range of technologies such as e-mail as well….”

Read the textbook (pgs 384-391) before you start for excellent
background on this subject.

Observe and discuss these questions and observations.

Embellish the points below with other discussion thoughts
and questions as you conduct your research:
• Explain what ecommerce is. and how did it get started?
• What forms does it take; and how is it implemented across
the web?
• Are there government regulation in place to deal with
ecommerce?
• Explain the technical aspects of its orchestration and show
examples.
• What is the experience of ecommerce for the user/buyer?
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 • What makes a good ecommerce site – offer examples.
Offer some success stories and stories of failure.
• What products, services and ideas can sell well on the Web
and which don’t
• What impact is it making of the U.S. economy and U.S.
businesses?
• There are so many young people (20s-30s) making their
mark through ecommerce – tell us about their stories.
• Some people say that e-commerce web sites will replace
in-person shopping. Others point to declining online sales
and claim that e-commerce cannot replace the physical
marketplace. What do you think? What advantages and
disadvantages does online shopping provide compared to
in-person shopping?
• What is the future of e-commerce?
There is a wealth of information online about this topic;
really research hard and offer additional information. These
questions only scratched the surface.

The Cyber Journalist

Technology has changed the world and the way mainstream and
alternative media disseminate the news. It has changed the way we
read, watch and listen to the news.

This topic is based on the mission statement of Cyber Journalist dot

net:
http://www.cyberjournalist.net/
Focusing on “how the Internet, convergence and new technologies
are changing the media….offering tips, news and commentary about
online journalism, citizen’s media, digital storytelling, converged
news operations and using the Internet as a reporting tool….
highlighting examples of online journalism with the aim of
recognizing those who do great work and helping those who don’t….
exploring how technology is affecting journalism, with an emphasis
on how the Internet can help all journalists better do their jobs.

Study the Cyber Journalist site thoroughly and conduct

further, in-depth research on the points listed below.

Observe and discuss these questions and observations.

Embellish the points below with other discussion thoughts
and questions as you conduct your research:
• Offer a back ground history of cyber journalism.

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 • Explain how the major mass media conglomerates and
the grassroots or underground journalists make use of
cyber journalism.
• Research and speak further about this comment from
Faridah·Ibrahim (School of Media and Communication
Studies in Malaysia) ….”with the onset of new
technologies, the definition of cyber journalist has gone
beyond the realm of journalistic education. Anybody who
is techno-savvy can be a cyber journalist. Hence,
questions of epistemology (validity), professionalism,
responsibility and credibility have now become an
epitome of cyber journalism.”
http://www.portalcomunicacion.com/bcn2002/n_eng/progr
amme/prog_ind/asp4.asp?id_pre=1162
• How are users impacted by the advent of cyber
journalism?
• Explain the issues surrounding libel, slander, copyright
laws, obscenity and privacy rights.
• Research and bring us to the text blogs, video blogs and
podcasts of cyber journalists. Compare and contrast at
least 8 sites from which include text, video and audio
news.
• How to you know and find what’s reputable and what’s
not?
• Do cyber journalists need to follow the same code of
ethics as journalists in mainstream media – TV, radio,
newspapers, and magazines?
• What does this mean in terms of the digital divide – the
information rich (has access to computers) and the
information poor (no access) and the information and
news that they get?
• What federal regulations are cyber journalists held to?

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