Digital Media and Society

This course is unique in offering you the opportunity to develop a broad understanding of the relationship between digital media and society from a social science perspective. You’ll use innovative digital methods to research digital media in society, and consider what makes digital media products ethical and impactful.

Explore the ever-growing role digital media plays in shaping society across an increasingly connected world.

Gain a deeper understanding of how social media influences our world, what happens to the information we share online, and the technical, social and ethical considerations behind digital design.

From data-driven storytelling to driving social change, you will analyse how digital media swings public opinion and learn how to build compelling narratives from data within your research. You’ll also have the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice by creating digital products such as websites and data visualisations which focus on the needs of the user.

As you progress through your degree, you’ll be able to specialise in the areas that interest you most, such as social change, inequalities, AI policy, radicalisation and digital health.

In your third year, you’ll draw upon the conceptual and practical research skills developed so far to complete the dissertation on a topic of your choosing. You’ll also have the opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and practice through a professional digital media work placement.

Our staff are experts in their field so no matter what topic you want to specialise in, there’ll be someone who can guide you in your research. Their current research covers topics such as: data policy, Chinese social media, digital consumption, influencer culture, activism, climate change, AI, digital racism and radicalisation, all of which feed into the modules that you will be studying.

Throughout your degree, you will also have the option to select modules from across the Faculty of Social Science so you can tailor your learning to related fields, such as journalism or marketing.

Why study this course?

• Learn from people making a real change - Our academics use their research to inform new and upcoming policy. For example, Dr Ysabel Gerrard’s research into how young people use and experience social media has been involved in groundbreaking policy change for Instagram. We are also home to the Digital Good Network, a research community focused on what a good digital society should look like.

• Design your course - This is a flexible degree, offering you the opportunity to specialise in areas such as data, journalism or marketing and consumer society.

• Develop skills for your career - Put your learning into practice by taking our dedicated digital work placement module, or attending faculty employability workshops and events.