Course coordinator
Dr Sungyong Ahn
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Communication & Arts School
You will undertake an historical and critical examination of continuous evolutions in media industries and technologies. The course addresses the dynamic relation between audiences, industries, and technologies.
In this course, you will critically evaluate how media industries are changing and evolving in the era of of digital platforms. We explore how media industries and economies work, so you can analyse how different media businesses are being transformed by platformization, and anticipate how they might further develop in the future.
In the first part of the course, we study the convergence of media industries and the digital economy, taking account of different aspects of media businesses, from audiences and advertising to infrastructure and algorithms and the anlaytical frameworks used ot understand them. How are media industries distinctive in the ways they shape their products, markets and audiences? How does the dynamic of platformisation build upon the social logics of media economies, and how does automation transform the role of creatives in the production process?
In the second part of the course, we examine a range of business models for digital platforms. We consider how these models change the operating logics of the media industries. How do they affect the kind of content that media industries make, and the ways it is distributed and paid for? How does it affect relationships between groups that produce content (such as YouTube users) and those which distribute it (such as YouTube itself)?
In the third part of the course, we look at the ways in which digital platforms are increasingly situated at the heart of changes in the global economy, and consider the role of governance and regulation in recognizing and establishing new norms for the media industries. How does the convergence of media, technology and finance interact with post-globalization economies? How do platforms challenge existing balances between the aims of media companies and the public interest?
Course requirements
Assumed background
This course is best suited to students in their second or third year of study in the Bachelor of Communication, Bachelor of Journalism, and Bachelor of Arts Media & Digital Cultures and/or English majors. It is recommended that you have completed at least two of the following courses relevant to your degree context: COMU1120 Media & Society, COMU1130 Data and Society, COMU1500 Introduction to Media and Digital Cultures,ﾠor MSTU1001 Introduction to Film & Television Studies.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Sungyong Ahn
Tutor
Dr Hrishikesh Arvikar
Dr Doreen Busolo
Miss Tahmina Haque
Ms Meg Herrmann
Ms Maria Hrisafinas
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Whilst every effort is made to place students in their preferred activity, it is not always possible for a student to be enrolled in their tutorial of choice. If you require assistance, please ensure that you email timetabling.commarts@enquire.uq.edu.au from your UQ student email with:
- Your name
- Your student ID
- The course code
- A list of three tutorial preferences (in order of preference)
- Reason for the change – e.g. timetable clash, elite athlete status, SAP
Teaching staff do not have access to change tutorials or help with timetables; all timetabling changes must be processed through the Timetabling Team.
Aims and outcomes
Students completing this course will be equipped to understand and evaluate the nature of digital media industries as content providers, technological innovators, cultural touchstones, data companies, and economic entities continuously intersecting with media users to create media. It provides students with the necessary tools for critically evaluating the transformation of mediaﾠindustries into platform media. This combination of focus will allow students to become more informed media producers and consumers, regardless of what digital media may become in their future lives beyond university.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Describe the ways media industries have evolved from analogue to digital media industries, and are evolving into platform media industries.
LO2.
Identify the underlying logics and business models driving the development of a range of media.
LO3.
Understand the consequences of different ways of paying for media, technologies and infrastructures, media measurement and data collection, regulatory settings and processes of platformisation for the operation of digital media industries.
LO4.
Reflect upon your intersection with digital media industries as audiences, content producers, sources of data, and commodified attention.
LO5.
Construct clear evidence-based arguments informed by original research and the application of concepts and methods.
LO6.
Work effectively in teams to make informed team decisions and demonstrate interpersonal communication skills.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation/ Student contribution |
Weekly Tutorial Workshops
|
30% |
Week 1 - Week 11
These workshops will be completed during your tutorials. |
| Essay/ Critique | Platform Business Analysis | 35% 1500 words |
2/05/2025 4:00 pm |
| Product/ Design | Designing the Most Honest Platform Ever | 35% 1500 words |
30/05/2025 4:00 pm |
Assessment details
Weekly Tutorial Workshops
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Written
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
Week 1 - Week 11
These workshops will be completed during your tutorials.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06
Task description
Each week you will complete an in-class activity, or workshop, during your tutorial, from Week 1 to Week 11. These workshops will be completed during your tutorials. You must attend your tutorial to complete that week’s workshop. Please advise your tutor if you are unable to attend. Each workshop will receive a grade of complete or incomplete. You must complete at least 5 workshops to pass this assignment.
Your workshop instructions will be provided each week on Blackboard.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The test modules to complete each workshop will be open on Blackboard during tutorial hours.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
This assessment task is to be completed in person. Students are NOT able to apply for an extension via the Unitask portal for this assessment item. Please contact your tutor/course coordinator directly to see if alternative arrangements are available.
Late submission
Late submission is not possible for this assessment.
Platform Business Analysis
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 35% 1500 words
- Due date
2/05/2025 4:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L05
Task description
In business analysis report you are to undertake an in-depth case study of a digital platform, describing its configuration, affordances and business operations. This is a case study research project where you will apply concepts, methods, orientations and course readings to a specific platform, generating original research in an integrated and well referenced report that uses empirical data drawn from your original research.
The written report should be formal, clearly referenced and include the following sections:
- A description of the product or service provided by the platform.
- A clear description of the platform interface and its affordances.
- An explanation of the business model of the platform.
- A critical assessment of the social, cultural and economic benefits of the platform.
- An empirical account of the market for the platform (with data).
- An analysis of the platform ecosystem.
- An analysis of the platform ecosphere.
- Assessment of the opportunities and challenges for this platform in Australia.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit via TurnItIn through Blackboard.
TurnItIn Receipts:
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial.
When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can:
- View the name of the submitted file
- View date and time of the upload
- Resubmit your paper (if necessary)
- Download your submitted paper
- Download digital receipt.
If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work).
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached.
Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Designing the Most Honest Platform Ever
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Product/ Design
- Weight
- 35% 1500 words
- Due date
30/05/2025 4:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L04, L06
Task description
In this assessment, you will design the “About Us” page(s) of an imaginary lean platform that you think could meet the existing demands of people. This is a kind of parody writing project where you will develop a creative narrative for pitching your platform idea to its potential user/customer groups, such as individual end-users and corporate complementors, and to your investors. For the common rhetorics and narratives of platformization you will make a parody of, you can refer to the “About Us” or similar pages of popular lean platforms such as Uber and Airbnb. Writing a parody of them means that your “About Us” pages will also follow this marketing language of platforms but in an exaggerated and twisted manner as you may find in other parody works, such as “honest movie trailers” on YouTube, to make visible otherwise invisible business practices that platforms usually try to put aside from the users/customers’ views while emphasizing the benefits and opportunities they promise to the people. You can use any webpage design tool and hosting service while encouraged to use WordPress that we will workshop about in Week 6 tutorials. You are required to submit the text version of the website alongside the link to your active webpage to Turnitin. Your webpage should include the following sections:
- About us (100-200 words): A clear mission statement of the platform, providing an effective keyword that describes the product/service domain (e.g. “Mobility” or “the way the world movies” for Uber) and illustrating how the platform redefines/reimagines this domain.
- Our offerings (300-600 words): describing the services/products it offers to each user/customer group.
- How it works (300-600 words): a step-by-step manual of the platform app, explaining the way in which its algorithms work to realize its promises.
- Impact (300-600 words): ethical goals or community services that it is committed to, especially concerning the current challenges in social, economic, and climate-changing worlds.
- Investor relations (300-600 words): explaining its commitment to corporate responsibility (for data privacy, service/product accessibility, workplace safety, etc.) and future vision (of its ecosystem/ecosphere scalability, diversification of service provisions, etc.).
Besides the effective delivery of information, your PARODY of platform language will need to include/explain:
- For EVERY good thing that the platform says it provides or is committed to, the trade-off the platform requires its customers to pay.
- Effective language (or very effectively exaggerated language) to assure the customers that this trade-off is almost ignorable compared to the platform's benefits.
- (Probably in the “Investor relations” section) How its core architecture--interface plus algorithms--organizes a sustainable and expandable business model; a) Sustainability based on continuing user contributions. b) Expandability through established platform-user relationships (e.g. users’ reliance on platforms, their willingness to contribute to the community the platform organizes, and the interactions that the platform facilitates between customer groups on different sides of the market.).
- Effective language to draw continuing user contributions.
- How it outsources risks, costs, and responsibilities.
Other requirements:
- At least three distinguishable customer groups should be identified alongside three distinguishable services the platform provides for each.
- At least four concepts from lectures (e.g. affordances, network effects, cross-subsidization, ecosystem, technological lock-in, multi-sided market, rentiership, demand-side economics and supply-side economics, attention economy, participatory and convergence culture, choice architecture/engine, etc.) should be mentioned in the right places and correct ways.
- Your imaginary platform could be anything but another ride-hailing service.
- The service your imaginary platform provides can be that which has already been serviced by other platforms, while the case that identifies a new “promising” service/product domain for platformization is highly welcomed.
- Effective use of visual elements and a clear layout are required.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit via TurnItIn through Blackboard.
TurnItIn Receipts:
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial.
When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can:
- View the name of the submitted file
- View date and time of the upload
- Resubmit your paper (if necessary)
- Download your submitted paper
- Download digital receipt.
If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work).
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached.
Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
- Where fractional marks occur in the calculation of the final grade, a mark of x.5% or greater will be rounded up to (x+1)%. A percentage mark of less than x.5% will be rounded down to x%.
- Where no assessable work is received, a Grade of X will apply.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
- Further information regarding the assessment, including marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
- Marks Cannot Be Changed After Being Released: Marks are not open to negotiation with course staff. If you wish to discuss the feedback you have received, you should make an appointment to speak with the Course Coordinator.
- Assessment Re-mark: If you are considering an Assessment Re-mark, please follow the link to important information you should consider before submitting a request.
- Integrity Pledge: Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin. Before submitting any assignments for this course, you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Modules.ﾠIn uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
- Withholding marks prior to finalisation of grades: Per UQ Assessment Procedures – Release of Assessment Item Marks and Grades: The final assessment item and the marks for the assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 1 Lecture: Media Industries and Economies Reading: Picard, Robert (2011) "Chapter 1. Media Firms as Economic and Business Entities." The Economics and Financing of Media Companies. 2nd ed. New York: Fordham University Press, pp 1-24. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Tutorial |
Week 1 Tutorial: What's Different About Media Industries? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 2 Lecture: Digital Technologies and Platformisation Reading: (Required) Poell, Thomas, Nieborg, David and van Dijck, José (2019) 'Platformisation', Internet Policy Review 8(4): 1-13. (Recommended) Srnicek (2016) Platform Capitalism, Chapter 2 (Online access available through the library site). Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 2 Tutorial: Digital Media as Tools and Firms Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 3 Lecture: Convergence and Content Reading: Jenkins, Henry (2006) Introduction, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, NYU Press, pp. 1-24. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 3 Tutorial: Convergence Culture as Crowdsourcing Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 4 Lecture: Audiences, Attention and Influence Reading: Webster, James, (2014) The Marketplace of Attention: How Audiences take Shape in a Digital Age, MIT Press, pp 1-22. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Lecture |
Week 4 Tutorial: Pull and Push Strategies for Audience Building Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 5 Lecture: Digital Media and Rentier Capitalism Readings: (Required) Caplan, Robyn and Tarleton Gillespie, Tarleton (2020) "Tiered governance and demonetization: The shifting terms of labor and compensation in the platform economy." Social Media+ Society 6(2). (Recommended) Sadowski, Jathan (2020) "The Internet of Landlords: Digital Platforms and New Mechanisms of Rentier Capitalism." Antipode 52(2). Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 5 Tutorial: Walled-Gardens or the Internet of Landlords Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 6 Lecture: Digital Media as Infrastructures (Required) Plantin, Jean-Christophe, et al. (2018) "Infrastructure studies meet platform studies in the age of Google and Facebook." New Media & Society 20(1): 293-310. (Recommended) Nieborg, David B., and Helmond, Anne (2019) "The political economy of Facebooks platformization in the mobile ecosystem: Facebook Messenger as a platform instance." Media, Culture & Society 41(2): 196-218. Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 6 Tutorial: WordPress Workshop (ONLINE) Online workshop for the final project (web design) using WordPress |
|
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 7 Lecture: Smart Technologies and Behavioural Economics Readings: Oscar H. Gandry Jr. and Selena Nemorin (2018) "Toward a political economy of nudge: smart city variations," Information, Communication & Society 22 (14): 2112-2126. Cristina Mele, Tiziana Russo Spena, Valtteri Kaartemo, and Maria Luisa Marzullo (2021) "Smart nudging: How cognitive technologies enable choice architectures for value co-creation," Journal of Business Research 129: 949-960. Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 7 Tutorial: Culture of Self-Tracking Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 8 Lecture: Streaming Media Curtin, Michael, Jennifer Holt, and Kevin Sanson. Introduction: The Making of a Revolution. Distribution Revolution: Conversations About the Digital Future of Film and Television. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014. 120; Lotz, Amanda (2019) 'Teasing apart television industry disruption: consequences of meso-level financing practices before and after the US multiplatform era', Media, culture and Society, 41(7): 923-938. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 8: NO TUTORIALS |
|
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
MID-SEMESTER BREAK |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Lecture |
Week 9 Lecture: Digital Transactions Readings: Brunnermeier, Markus K and Landau, Jean-Pierre (2019) The Digitalization of Money. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Avaialbe at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w26300; Maurer, Bill (2012) Mobile Money: Communication, Consumption and Change in the Payments Space. Journal of Development Studies 48 (5); Maurer, Bill (2013) "When perhaps the real problem is money itself!": the practical materiality of Bitcoin. Social Semiotics 23 (2). Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 9 Tutorial: Storytelling in Old and New Media Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Lecture |
Week 10 Lecture: Generative AI and Creative Industries Reading: tbd Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 10 Tutorial: AI Tools in Creative Industries Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Lecture |
Week 11 Lecture: Digital Governance Reading: Gillespie, Tarleton, 2018, Regulation of and by Platforms (Chapter 14), in Burgess, Jean, Poell, Thomas, and Marwick, Alice eds., Sage Handbook of Social Media, Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. 254-278 Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Tutorial |
Week 11 Tutorial: Politics of Visibility Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
|
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Week 12: NO LECTURE OR TUTORIALS |
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Week 13: NO LECTURE OR TUTORIALS |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
Course guidelines
Communication Expectations
While you are a student at UQ, all communication must be conducted according to the UQ Student Code of Conduct. The UQ Library has a helpful Communicate and collaborate online module.
- Email is the primary way for you to send messages to, and receive information from, the School and our staff.
- You must use your UQ email address (not a private address) to communicate with staff.
- You should add a clear subject line, including course code, and a 2-3 word statement.
- You can send email at any time, however please do not expect responses outside normal working hours (Monday to Friday from ~8am to ~5pm).
- Emails that constitute bullying, harassment or discrimination against staff contravene the Student Code of Conduct. Emails like this will be reported to the University, and the matter will be pursued as misconduct.