Social Media

The course is designed to form a systemic idea of social media among future journalists and to prepare them for the effective use of Web 2.0 platforms in their professional activity.

Specialty Journalism (Print Media)
Semester 7
Credits 3
Total hours
 116
Classroom hours
 48
Lectures 14 hours
Seminars and workshops 18 hours
Guided self-study
 16 hours
Evaluation
 Exam

Course learning goals

1. To acquaint students with the phenomenon of social media, to demonstrate their potential for journalistic practice;

2. To consider the social platforms that are relevant for Belarus, the specifics of their audience, functional capabilities and development trends;

3. Demonstrate the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on social, political and cultural processes;

4. Comprehend in the context of journalism the phenomena of the social media information space (blogging, UGC projects);

5. Teach students how to use social services to search for information and verify it;

6. To instill in students the skills of creating and promoting content via social media, administering account of an editorial office.

Curriculum

  • Topic 1. Social Media and Web 2.0

    The concept of social media, their key characteristics and features.

    Web 2.0 as ideological and technological base of social platforms. Social media as a factor of the transformation of the media system and journalism. The most popular social media functions in journalist’s work.

    Lectures: 2 hours
    Seminars and workshops: 2 hours
    Guided self-study: 2 hours
    Assignment: colloquium

    Lecture 1 

    Summary 

  • Topic 2. Social Media in Belarusian Information Space

    The social media segment in Belarus: a review of leading platforms.

    Socio-demographic profile of the audience of social services, the functional niche, potential for journalism. Belarusian social media projects: the origin, history and reasons for their decline.

    Lectures: 2 hours
    Seminars and workshops: 2 hours
    Guided self-study: 2 hours
    Assignment: project

    Lecture 2  

    Summary 

  • Topic 3. Social Media in the Social, Political and Cultural Processes

    Web 2.0 technologies and the socio-cultural transformations.

    The impact of social media on the behavior of Internet users. Features of «generation of social networking». Social media and cultural processes. Internet memes as a product of mass cyberspace culture. The use of Internet memes in the mass media. The power of social media for political communication and PR. Public initiatives in the Web 2.0 age: from slacktivism to the self-organization of concerned citizens.

    Lectures: 2 hours
    Seminars and workshops: 4 hours
    Guided self-study: 4 hours
    Assignment: presentation

    Lecture 3  

    Summary 

  • Topic 4. Phenomena of Social Media Information Space

    Professional blogging, UGC-projects, mass communities in social networks.

    Professional bloggers as a group and as an element of the media market. Commercialization of the blogosphere. Citizen journalism and its features. Successful creative and organizational models of UGC platforms. Mass communities and creative projects in social media. Community market in the social network VKontakte: the specificity of the Belarusian segment.

    Lecture: 2 hours
    Seminars and workshops: 2 hours
    Guided self-study: 2 hours
    Assignment: open heuristic task

    Lecture 4 

    Summary 

  • Topic 5. Social Media as a Source of Information

    Collection and verification of content from social media, the possibilities for UGC usage in the preparation of journalistic materials.

    The problem of information quality in social media. Misinformation industry in the Web 2.0 space (Astroturfing, fake news, sockpuppeting etc.). Basic strategy of user-generated content verification. Models and technologies of UGC collection. Organization of social media monitoring process in the editorial offices.

    Lectures: 2 hours
    Seminars and workshops: 2 hours
    Guided self-study: 2 hours
    Assignment: report

    Lecture 5 

    Summary 

  • Topic 6. Social Media as a Channel for Content Distribution

    Special features of the distribution of media content in social media.

    Distribution of journalistic materials in social media: publications format, broadcast frequency, tone. Teaser, native, borrowed content. «Black» and «white» methods of promotion in social media. Viral marketing technologies. Situational marketing.

    Lectures: 2 hours
    Seminars and workshops: 2 hours
    Guided self-study: 2 hours
    Assignment: project

    Lecture 6 

    Summary 

  • Topic 7. Social Media Strategy for Mass Media

    The main components of the editorial office strategy of working in social media.

    Social media strategy. Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Social Media Editor: functional responsibilities.

    Lectures: 2 hours
    Seminars and workshops: 2 hours
    Guided self-study: 2  hours
    Assignment: open heuristic task

    Lecture 7 

    Summary 

Learning Resources

Степанов, В. А. Социальные медиа : электронный учебно-методический комплекс для специальностей: 1-23 01 08 «Журналистика (по направлениям)», 1-23 01 09 «Журналистика (международная)» /В. А. Степанов ; БГУ, Фак. журналистики, Каф. медиалогии и веб-журналистики. – Минск : БГУ, 2018. – 109 с. : ил. – Библиогр.: с.: 106–109.

  • Lecture 1  
  • Lecture 2  
  • Lecture 3  
  • Lecture 4  
  • Lecture 5  

Course Requirements

Required reading

  1. Амзин, А. Как новые медиа изменили журналистику. 2012–2016 / А. Амзин, А. Галустян, В. Гатов [и др.]; под науч. ред. С. Балмаевой и М. Лукиной. – Екатеринбург: Гуманитарный университет, 2016. – 304 с.
  2. «ВКонтакте» для бизнеса: подробное практическое руководство / ООО «Интернет-маркетинг», 2017. – 178 с.
  3. Ву, Т. Главный рубильник. Расцвет и гибель информационных империй от радио до интернета / Т. Ву. – М.: Манн, Иванов и Фербер, 2012. – 384 с.
  4. Градюшко, А.А. Современная веб-журналистика Беларуси / А.А. Градюшко. – Минск: БГУ, 2013. – 179 с.
  5. Градюшко, А.А. Мессенджеры в структуре творческой деятельности журналистов / А. Градюшко // Мультимедийная журналистика: сб. науч. трудов / под общ. ред. канд.филол. наук доцента В. П. Воробьева. – Минск: БГУ, 2018. – С. 8–14.
  6. Ермолова, Н. Продвижение бизнеса в социальных сетях Facebook, Twitter, Google+ / Н. Ермолова. – М.: Альпина Паблишер, 2017. – 358 с.
  7. Instagram для бизнеса: 40 хаков и готовых решений / ООО «Интернет-маркетинг», 2017. – 83 с.
  8. Крюкова, Е. Все об SMM: 112 статей и видео, которые сделают из вас профи [Электронный ресурс] / Е. Крюкова. – Режим доступа: http://texterra.ru/blog/kvintessentsiya-opyta-smm-marketologov-70-statey-kotorye-sdelayut-iz-vas-profi.html. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  9. Крюкова, Е. 100+ хаков для интернет-маркетологов. Как получить трафик и конвертировать его в продажи / Е. Крюкова, Д. Савельев. – М.: Альпина Паблишер, 2018. – 303 с.
  10. Лукина, М. Интернет-СМИ: Теория и практика: Учеб. пособие для студентов вузов / под ред. М. Лукиной. – М.: Аспект Пресс, 2010. – 348 с.
  11. Миллер, М. YouTube для бизнеса / М. Миллер. – М.: Манн, Иванов и Фербер, 2012. – 304 с.
  12. Мультимедийная журналистика: учебник для вузов / под общ. ред. А. Качкаевой, С. Шомовой; Нац. исслед. ун-т «Высшая школа экономики». – М.: Изд. дом Высшей школы экономики, 2017. – 413 с.
  13. Потупчик, К., Федорова, А. Власть над сетью. Как государство действует в Интернете / К. Потупчик, А. Федорова. – Алгоритм, 2014 – 430 с.
  14. Райхман, И. Практика медиаизмерений: аудит, отчетность, оценка эффективности PR / И. Райхман. – М.: Альпина Паблишер, 2013. – 432 с.
  15. Румянцев, Д. Продвижение бизнеса в ВКонтакте. Быстро и с минимальными затратами / Д. Румянцев – СПб.: Питер, 2014. – 256 c.
  16. Сильверман, К. Руководство по верификации для журналистских расследований [Электронный ресурс] / К. Сильверман, Р. Цубаки // http://verificationhandbook.com/book2_ru. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  17. Степанов, В. Социальные медиа в процессах трансформации журналистской деятельности в Беларуси: автореф. дис. … канд. филол. наук: 10.01.10 / В.А. Степанов; БГУ. – Минск, 2017. – 26 с.
  18. Универсальная журналистика: Учебник для вузов / под ред. Л.П. Шестеркиной. – М.: Издательство «Аспект Пресс», 2016. – 480 c.
  19. Халилов, Д. Маркетинг в социальных сетях / Д. Халилов. – М.: Манн, Иванов и Фербер, 2013. – 240 с.
  20. Ющук, Е. Конкурентная разведка: учеб. пособие / под ред. Е.Л. Ющука, А.А. Мальцева. – Екатеринбург: Изд-во Урал. гос. экон. ун-та, 2016. – Ч.2. – 224 c.

Additional reading

  1. Бергер, И. Заразительный. Психология сарафанного радио / И. Бергер. – М.: Манн, Иванов и Фербер, 2013. – 224 с.
  2. Веселов, А. Фабрика фальшивых новостей [Электронный ресурс] / А. Веселов // РИА «Новости». – Режим доступа: https://ria.ru/mediawars/20170925/1505229465.html. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  3. Иванова, Е.Н. Профессионализация интернет-журналистики в блогосфере: автореф. дис. … канд. социол. наук: 22.00.04 / Е.Н. Иванова; НИУ ВШЭ. – Москва, 2011. – 26 с.
  4. Идлис, Ю. Рунет. Сотворенные кумиры / Ю. Идлис. – М.: Альпина нон-фикшн, 2010. – 586 с.
  5. Коваленко, В. Пиар на провокациях: исследование на примере Aviasales [Электронный ресурс] / В. Коваленко // Cossa. – Режим доступа: https://www.cossa.ru/trends/167233/. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  6. Лебедев, М. Тролли против клик-ферм: как соцсети искажают реальность в эпоху «постправды» [Электронный ресурс] / М. Лебедев // Афиша. Daily. – Режим доступа: https://daily.afisha.ru/technology/3711-trolli-protiv-klik-ferm-kak-socseti-iskazhayut-realnost-v-epohu-postpravdy/. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  7. О’Рейли, Т. Что такое Web2.0? [Электронный ресурс] / Т. О’Рейли // Журнал Компьютерра. – Режим доступа: http://old.computerra.ru/think/234100. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  8. Пустовалов, А.В. Новые формы журналистики во взаимодействии с гражданским обществом / А.В. Пустовалов, И.А. Березина // Вестник Московского университета. Сер. 10. Журналистика. – 2013. – № 1. – С. 40–52.
  9. Распопова, С. Фейковые новости: учебное пособие для вузов / С. Распопова, Е. Богдан. – М.: Аспект Пресс, 2018. – 112 с.
  10. Рейнгольд, Г. Умная толпа: новая социальная революция / Г. Рейнгольд. – Пер. с англ. А. Гарькавого. – М.: ФАИР ПРЕСС, 2006. – 416 с.
  11. Степанов, В. Instagram для журналистов [Электронный ресурс] / В. Степанов. – Режим доступа: http://vk.com/doc5932578_230965435. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  12. Степанов, В. Twitter для журналистов [Электронный ресурс] / В. Степанов. – Режим доступа: http://vk.com/doc5932578_131817047. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  13. Филлипс, У. Трололо: Нельзя просто так взять и выпустить книгу про троллинг / У. Филлипс. – М.: Альпина Паблишер, 2016. – 300 с.
  14. Цукерман, Э. Новые соединения. Цифровые космополиты в коммуникативную эпоху / Э. Цукерман. – М.: GARAGE x AdMarginem, 2015. – 320 с.
  15. Bowman, S. We media. How audiences are shaping the future of news and information [Электронный ресурс] / S. Bowman, C. Willis. – Режим доступа: http://www.hypergene.net/wemedia/download/we_media.pdf. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  16. 2017 Global Social Journalism Study [Электронный ресурс] // Cision. – Режим доступа: https://www.cision.com/content/dam/cision/Resources/white-papers/SJS_Interactive_Final2.pdf. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  17. Domingo, D., Heinone. A. Weblogs and Journalism: A Typology to Explore the Blurring Boundaries / D. Domingo, A. Heinone // Nordicom Review. – 2008. – №29 (1). – P. 3–15.
  18. Gillmor, D. We the Media. Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People / D. Gillmor. – O’Reilly Media, 2004. – 320 p.
  19. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2017 [Электронный ресурс] // Reuters Institute. – Режим доступа: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Digital%20News%20Report%202017%20web_0.pdf. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  20. Shirky, C. Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations / C. Shirky. – Penguin Press, 2008. – 336 p.
  21. Silverman, C. Verification Handbook: Necessary tools for breaking news [Электронный ресурс] / C. Silverman, R. Tsubaki // Verificationhandbook.com. – http://verificationhandbook.com/downloads/verification.handbook.pdf. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  22. Tapscott, D. Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World / D. Tapscott. – McGraw-Hill Education, 2009. – 368 p.
  23. The State of Social Marketing 2017. [Электронный ресурс] // Simply Measured. – Режим доступа: https://get.simplymeasured.com/rs/135-YGJ-288/images/SM_StateOfSocial-2017.pdf. – Дата доступа: 20.05.2018.
  24. Wilson, L. When Blogs Become Organizations / L. Wilson, S. Parrott, T. Meade // Journalism. – № 12. – P. 243–259.

Assignments

Assignments, tests and exercises are available for registered users of the Belarusian State University distance learning platform.

Essay topics

  1. Development trends of social Internet platforms
  2. Web 3.0: overview of the concepts
  3. The history of social media by the 2000s
  4. Ethics and etiquette of journalists’ behavior in social media
  5. The Belarusian market of media research (general characteristics)
  6. Web 2.0 pioneers in the ByNet (social services creators and activists)
  7. Sockpuppets in Telegram: the potential for journalism
  8. The expansion of foreign Web 2.0 platforms and the problem of «digital sovereignty»
  9. The impact of social media on the psyche and behavior of Internet users (overview of scientific research)
  10. The Blue Whale challenge as a socio-psychological phenomenon
  11. Struggle against digital technologies: Neo-Luddism ideologists and practitioners
  12. Internet memes and popular culture
  13. Crowdfunding in social media
  14. The concept of «digital diplomacy»
  15. Social media and new journalism concepts (civic, citizen, etc.)
  16. «Pirate Radio» – the predecessor to the blogosphere
  17. The cycle of the Media Industry Development (based on the book «The Master Switch» written by T. Wu)
  18. Ways to develop a sustainable online community
  19. Social media monitoring systems: market overview
  20. «Fake news» phenomenon in the social media space
  21. Astroturfing industry
  22. The technology of competitive intelligence and OSINT in social media
  23. Rules for the layout of a social-media account on «VKontakte» (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
  24. Visual content: sources, formats, processing applications
  25. Methods and technologies to create video content for social services
  26. The review of applications for social media accounts administration
  27. «Influencer marketing» technologies
  28. Organizing of competitions on social platforms
  29. OSINT tools in social media
  30. Methods for reputation management in social media
  31. Social media editors in foreign media (identities overview)
  32. The legal regulation of social media in Belarus

Exam questions

  1. The concept of social media and their technological specifics. Web 2.0 ideology.
  2. Impact of Web 2.0 services on the information sector and the media industry.
  3. Social media as a tool in journalist’s work.
  4. The projects Web 2.0 which are popular in the Belarusian segment of the Internet: general characteristic, the overall portrayal of an audience, functional niche.
  5. YouTube Video Hosting as a competitor to traditional television.
  6. Internet messengers: general characteristics and their role in the media system.
  7. Belarusian social platforms.
  8. Psychological effects of social media. Features of generations Y and Z.
  9. Social media as a factor of social and cultural transformations.
  10. The phenomenon of internet memes, their potential for journalistic practice.
  11. The features of Web 2.0 services for political communication and PR.
  12. Social activism in the era of social media.
  13. Professional bloggers and their function in the mass communication system.
  14. Blogging and citizen journalism: similarities and differences.
  15. The features of the UGC-resources architecture. Citizen journalism platforms.
  16. Community social networks as a part of the media market. The specificity of the Belarusian segment.
  17. The information quality problem in social media. Fakes, virtuals. Astroturfing problem.
  18. Verification of content from social media: the main approaches, methods and tools.
  19. Models of the collection of user-generated content used by the media.
  20. Organization of social media monitoring process an editorial office.
  21. UGC functions in journalism. User-generated content as a mirror of public sentiment.
  22. Broadcasting format (content strategy) of media.
  23. Teaser, native and borrowed content in media accounts.
  24. Social media marketing. «Black» and «White» SMM.
  25. Viral marketing tools and methods. Criteria for content virality.
  26. Methods in situational marketing.
  27. The concept of social media strategy and its main components.
  28. KPI system. The most popular indicators and their features.
  29. The structure of the social media desk. Social media editor’s objectives.
  30. Opportunities for self-development and further training in the field of social media.

Course Schedule

20 - 26 January, 2020
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