Assignment 4 – Network Society, Convergence, and Data Practices

Assignment 4 Instructions
Instructions:

Answer all ten of the following questions, and follow the submission instructions below:

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  1. What are the three main elements of a network? Briefly describe each.
  2. Briefly describe what Barney means by post-industrialism.
  3. Briefly describe what Barney means by information society.
  4. Barney describes the state’s role in a post-Fordist society as both withdrawing from
    society and as interventionist. What does he mean by this?
  5. Briefly describe what Barney means by postmodernism.
  6. What are the two fundamental characteristics of a network society?
  7. Manuel Castells (see Barney’s article “Chapter 1, Network Societies”) identifies five
    attributes of network societies. What are they?
  8. According to Papacharissi, what are the differences between (i) audiences and
    publics? (ii) citizens and consumers? (iii) consumers and producers?
  9. What does Papacharissi mean by convergence of practices? Be thorough in your
    answer.
  10. How do Nafus and Sherman defend their argument that Quantitative Selfers offer a
    form of resistance to power relations established by big data? Identify at least five
    possible arguments.

Required Readings
“Converged Media, Converged Audiences, Converged Publics” by Zizi Papacharissi
“Re-reading the Notion of ‘Convergence’ in Light of Recent Changes to the Culture and
Communication Industries in Canada” by Éric George
“Network Society” by Darren Barney
“This One Does Not Go Up to 11: The Quantified Self Movement as an Alternative Big Data
Practice” by Dawn Nafus and Jamie Sherman

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