Paper : Media and Tribalism

Purpose of the Paper:

1. Provide accurate exposition of Neil Postman’s thesis in the first two chapters of his book, using textual evidence from those chapters as to how he supports his thesis through examples, anecdotes, statistics, print sources, etc.

2. Apply Postman’s thesis to ONE internet/smartphone application of your choice. This could be a search engine such as Google, a Wiki such as Wikipedia, social networking such as Facebook or Twitter or Tumblr, instant messaging such as SnapChat or Instagram, channels such as Vimeo or YouTube, downloadable content such as music from iTunes or Pandora. If you want to use a different application please contact me with your proposal so that we can discuss it before you move ahead.

Method of Presentation:

One way to organize the paper is to first present your coverage of Postman’s thesis in the first two chapters of his book. What is he driving at when he notes that a tribe’s communication method influences their sense of truth and knowledge? Why does he argue that if we change the means we use to communicate we change the content—what we are able to communicate? Why does he believe that the printed word, that text, is a medium of communication particularly suited to promoting a tribal culture of intellectual discourse instead of one which “amuses [us] to death”?

After your presentation, which should take up adequate space so that you demonstrate a keen knowledge of his thesis in the first two chapters and his evidence behind his thesis as presented in those first two chapters, you are ready to transition to the second component. Your mission here is to show me HOW the application of Postman’s ideas empowers you to conduct an epistemological reading of your chosen Internet or smartphone tool. How, for instance, does Twitter constitute a form of cultural truth-telling? What habits of mind or belief system does it influence us to acquire? How does Twitter’s form dictate its content, what it is capable of communicating?

I will judge your ability to appropriate Postman’s method of analysis and use it to mine epistemological insights and commentaries about your chosen Internet or smartphone application.

Length of the Paper, Format, and Submitting a Draft:

The paper must be NO LESS THAN 1,500 words but NO MORE THAN 1,750 words. This WORD COUNT INCLUDES ONLY THE TITLE, INTRODUCTION, BODY, AND CONCLUSION OF THE PAPER—NOTHING ELSE. Follow the same parameters you used for paper #1.

You have an option of uploading a draft for peer and instructor feedback. To receive instructor feedback the draft MUST BE COMPLETE, meaning it meets the minimum number of words, and it must be uploaded by the DEADLINE. Drafts do not earn points, and there is no grade penalty for not submitting a draft.