Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Internet Culture and Global Society
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish
Teaching staff
Students may visit the course instructor during the following office hours: Mondays from 10:00 to 14:00 and Thursdays from 13:00 to 15:00. To ensure the instructor’s availability, students are advised to send an email in advance.
Introduction
The course provides students with a theoretical and conceptual framework to understand and critically analyse Internet culture and its impact on contemporary global society. By connecting theory with contemporary examples from social media, AI platforms, and other digital environments, students develop a conceptual vocabulary that enables them to identify and interpret the social and cultural phenomena that characterise their everyday digital lives. The course examines how platforms, algorithms, and digital cultures shape behaviours, identities, values, communication, and politics, while developing students’ ability to critically reflect on the structures and ethical dilemmas of contemporary Internet culture.
Pre-course requirements
No.
Objectives
- To provide students with a theoretical and conceptual framework to understand and analyse Internet culture and its impact on global society.
- To provide students with tools to understand how digital media influence individual, social, political, and cultural behaviours.
- To enhance students’ digital fluency and their ability to identify and interpret the values, norms, and social codes underlying Internet content.
- To develop an understanding of the underlying structures governing major social media platforms and their implications for users, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
- To introduce students to the latest trends in digital platforms and algorithmic changes, and to how these are shaping the future of social media.
- To provide students with a conceptual framework that enables them to critically reflect on the ethical, social, and political dilemmas associated with Internet culture.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CN02 - Identify the various stakeholders in the contemporary audiovisual sector, their roles and the operational dynamics of a digital and globalised environment.
- CN03 - Identify emerging trends and developments within the global audiovisual ecosystem, including new formats and production technologies.
- CN04 - Explain the current legal and ethical framework governing the creation and distribution of audiovisual products, taking into account the sector's regulatory requirements.
- CN05 - Identify the key factors involved in assessing the economic, technical and creative viability of an audiovisual product in the current market.
- CN06 - Recognise the funding systems used by media groups and companies to support the production of audiovisual projects.
- CN07 - Recognise the main contemporary artificial intelligence tools with applications in the audiovisual sector.
- CN08 - Identify themes and styles that make audiovisual projects appealing to different audiences and markets.
- CP02 - Critically examine contemporary social developments and contextualise audiovisual works appropriately.
- CP03 - Communicate information and original ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, in Spanish, Catalan and English.
- CP04 - Apply professional ethical principles and standards of academic rigour in the audiovisual field, respecting the fundamental right to equality between women and men, promoting human rights, a culture of peace and democratic values, including the use of inclusive, non-discriminatory and stereotype-free language.
- CP05 - Develop multi-platform scripts that take into account the specific characteristics of different audiovisual genres and formats.
- CP07 - Create audiovisual content for commercial purposes, making full use of the expressive possibilities of multimedia environments and maximising creative potential through emerging digital technologies.
- HB01 - Use a range of media research and documentation resources.
- HB02 - Apply professional techniques in body language and voice presentation to create impactful audiovisual content.
- HB03 - Critically analyse contemporary audiovisual genres and formats using professional aesthetic and narrative criteria.
- HB04 - Use bibliographic resources, specialised terminology and linguistic structures in English effectively for professional communication in the audiovisual field.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Students will be able to:
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Analyse the behaviour and characteristics of audiences in the contemporary audiovisual environment.
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Contextualise the main audiovisual products from their creation in order to identify their influence on the moral values of societies in the 20th and 21st centuries.
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Explain the aesthetic evolution of audiovisual artistic works throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
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Recognise the dynamics and influences at work in a globalised world, including the impact of the Internet on society, in order to create attractive audiovisual content for different audiences and heterogeneous target groups.
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Understand the economic dimension of their professional field, as well as the management of companies in the audiovisual sector.
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Recognise the legal and institutional framework within which they will carry out their professional activities.
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Identify the laws governing the production and distribution of information and audiovisual content, including aspects of intellectual property and image rights.
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Keep up to date with the contemporary radio and television landscape and streaming platforms in order to identify how they adapt to audience demands.
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Identify the main contemporary content creators and their target audiences in order to recognise their influence on different human generations.
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Recognise the social phenomenon resulting from the diversification of the range of series available on streaming platforms, as well as their influence on the values and subcultures of the 21st century.
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Develop aesthetic criteria for understanding, evaluating, and relating audiovisual works, cultivating taste and sensitivity in artistic contexts.
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Analyse contemporary and digital culture, identifying artistic avant-gardes and their historical evolution, detecting emerging trends, and recognising the main references and styles in the
Syllabus
- Overview of the history of the Internet and key concepts related to digital media.
- Sociological, psychological, and anthropological theories and concepts applied to understanding Internet culture, digital media, and their impact on global society.
- Social media platforms (1): history of social media, user-generated content, self-presentation, and networked publics.
- Social media platforms (2): the consequences of TikTok’s algorithm for creators, platform dependency, AI slop, and the impact of clipping-based marketing techniques.
- Technological optimism and pessimism.
- Online communities and social networks. Individualism and communities on the Internet.
- Visual digital media: visual language and the analysis of the social meaning of images and videos.
- Digital emotions: affect and online hate speech, algorithmic structures, and emotional engagement.
- Power, politics, and the Internet: digital social movements, power imbalances, and digital hierarchies.
- Datafication, algorithms, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Assessment: 70% class participation and 30% examination.
Students will be assessed on their ability to use the concepts and theories presented throughout the course as tools for reflecting on how Internet culture and digital media influence society and/or individuals.
Examination:
Each student (or pair of students) may choose a course topic on which they will produce a 10–15-minute audiovisual essay. The essay must include sound, text and/or spoken discourse, as well as moving and/or still images.
Students will be assessed on their ability to use the concepts and theories presented in class to reflect on the chosen topic and its relationship to Internet culture.
Bibliography and resources
Lindgren, Simon. (2025). Digital media and society (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.