Final Class

For your final "class" in Comm & Social Media


Do some exploring based on themes from our reading. Explore as many of the following as you'd like, and share/discuss your findings in your small groups.



Activity: Do some investigating into trending twitter hashtags, perhaps looking back into the past. What kinds of television programs or content makes it big? Are there any surprises-- either that something trends or that something doesn't?

Activity: Look into your favorite show, and track down its main producers, writers, executives, and actors on Twitter. How active are the people who make your show? In what ways do they engage you, the viewer? How do they use Twitter to promote the series? In what ways are they (in)effective?


Activity: I seem to remember hearing that casting choices are sometimes informed by how big a following the actors have. Can you find any evidence of this? You might look into contestants (or whatever you'd call them) on a show like The Bachelor. Do reality-based shows seem to want people who already know how to use social media effectively?




Activity: Imagine you were in charge of social media for a show you like. After looking into how they seem to use social media currently, think about what kinds of recommendations you would make moving forward to boost live viewing (which still matters) and encourage dedicated fandom. Think about responses from the interviewees in the reading; for example, should social media be a vehicle for information or a tool for interaction? Is there one best approach, or are some strategies better than others depending on the program?

Consider: in what ways is viewers' social media engagement (un)like crowdsourcing, like we talked about with the fan-made Doritos Super Bowl ads?








I hope you've gotten some joy, pleasure, and mental stimulation from these activities/discussion questions and from those for previous class sessions. This course was the one about which I had the fewest concerns re: going online, and yet I've really missed being in a classroom with you. I hope you're all well, and hope you'll let me know if there's anything I can (reasonably) do in these last few weeks to help you learn/stay sane.