Sociopolitical Analysis

Due on Wed, 01/15 @ 11:59PM. 15 Points.

Instructions

For this assignment, you will pick a computer-mediated website or app and deconstruct it. Using the Winner article, the Morozov interview, or both, conduct a sociopolitical analysis of your technology. Your paper should address at least 4 of the questions listed below:

1. What are the politics behind this technology?
2. Who is affected by its design?
3. Who wins and who loses as a result of its creation and use?
4. How, specifically, does the technology shape who wins and who loses?
5. Is this app / phenomenon a fad? That is, in 10 years, do you think this technology will exist?
6. Is this app inherently political or does it imbue a “form of order”?

Here are some applications that could be interesting to deconstruct, but feel free to explore and think broadly about the app you want to analyze.

Note: Since we already did Uber in class, please select a technology other than Uber.

• Yelp
• Self-driving cars
• Spotify
• SoundCloud
• FitBit
• YouTube
• Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, etc.
• Airbnb
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Amazon (shopping site)
• Google Search
• WhatsApp
• TikTok
• Interesting speculative technology that just came out in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday (1/9/20):
  https://www.wsj.com/graphics/the-office-of-tomorrow/.
  Full article here.

Submission Checklist

• Reflection papers should be between 500 and 750 words, double spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman
• Papers should be converted to PDF format
• Make sure your name and section are listed at the top of your submission
• Ensure you’ve followed the instructions above

Resubmissions

If you are resubmitting, please fill out this form and upload your revised essay to Canvas.