ACC100 Communication in Everyday Life

Step 1: You will need to select an academic theory / concept from the unit, from the below list, to focus on in your essay: Public Sphere Surveillance Society Media Effects Semiotics Network Society Creative Industries Ideology Gamification The theory/concept you choose needs to be applied in your essay to help you explore an area of participatory media culture (through examples). Whichever theory/concept you select will connect with other concepts and ideas that we have explored in the unit. We encourage you to highlight these connections in your essay (remember to define or explain all academic terminology, using references), while maintaining focus on one theory/concept in particular.

Step 2: You will need to narrow the scope of your essay by selecting a specific area of participatory media culture to help you find examples. Potential digital participatory practices to explore include (but are not limited to): Social movements and activism Citizen journalism Memes Influencers and advertising Gaming culture Once you have narrowed your area of interest, you will need to find a couple of specific examples to use as evidence in your essay.

Step 3: You will then need to apply the academic concept/theory to your selected examples to discuss them in depth – that is, discuss how the theory/concept helps in understanding the examples as a form(s) of participatory media culture.You must construct a critical academic argument in your essay that connects what we have covered in the unit (theories and concepts) with your own observations (examples) about digital media culture. This means that you will need to prove or argue a point through the logical and rigorous use of evidence (academic sources, plus examples). You are to use academic conventions in terms of writing style, referencing, and the overall structure of a research essay. The essay will need an introduction, body and conclusion, and each paragraph should have a topic sentence to help guide the reader. The writing should be clear, concise and persuasive