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Digital and Social Media: Critical Approaches

Course Overview

  • Course Title: SOJE/DMJN/MX222 – Digital and Social Media: Critical Approaches

  • Institution: Wilfrid Laurier University, Brantford

  • Faculty: Faculty of Liberal Arts

  • Date: September 17, 2024

  • Instructor: David M. Meurer, PhD

Profiles in Digital Culture

Concept of Profiles

  • The status of self in digital culture is linked to ubiquitous methods, services, and devices used in everyday life.

    • This trend has shifted the nature of profiles from being applicable mostly to the categorization of criminals and those deemed mentally unstable in the past to a more normalized aspect of self-representation today.

Evolution of Profiling

  • Traditional Uses of Profiles (Before ~25 years ago):

    • Exclusively categorized criminals and mentally unstable individuals.

    • Definitions:

      • Contours of buildings or mountain ranges.

      • Side view of a face (18th century).

      • Schematic outline of a person (20th century).

  • Development of Children Profiling (1910):

    • Grigory Rossolimo categorized children by attention span, memory, and associative ability, resulting in profiles indicating behavioral disorders.

Profiling in Psychology and Criminology

  • 1950s-1960s: Profiling methods for identifying serial killers were developed, focusing on:

    • Emotional clues (hatred, fear, rage).

    • Transforming known subjects to unknown subjects through scientific methods.

Contemporary Shift in Profiling

  • Shift from:

    • Abnormality to normality.

    • Coerced description to voluntary representation.

    • Undesirable to desirable presentations.

    • Evaluation to self-representation.

Foucault's Analysis of Subjectivity and Power

Modes of Subject Formation

  • Three modes by which individuals are made subjects:

    1. Inquiry that claims objective knowledge.

    2. Dividing practices classifying individuals (mad vs. sane, etc.).

    3. Self-transformation through personal practices (self-care, relationships).

Power Dynamics

  • Power operates through institutions via knowledge, establishing a framework that:

    • Supports domination and reinforces political/economic systems.

    • Reflects the concept of a historical a priori or episteme.

The Archaeology of Knowledge

  • An episteme establishes:

    • Strategic possibilities within knowledge fields.

    • Definitions of what is thinkable/knowable (e.g., heliocentric theory).

    • Rules and methods guiding social discourse and practices.

Foucault's Power Dynamics

Characteristics of Power

  • Power is productive, influencing everyday life:

    • Not limited to coercion, but diffuses through norms and societal regulations.

    • Individuals are shaped by power relations rather than being self-constituting.

  • Different modes of power architectures:

    • Sovereign power

    • Disciplinary power

    • Biopower

Applications of Disciplinary Power

  • Examples of systems functioning under disciplinary power include:

    • Family, school, military, law enforcement.

    • Institutions organize and regulate individuals while contributing to societal management and surveillance.

Digital Culture and Contemporary Profiles

The Role of Digital Profiles

  • Modern profiles extend beyond traditional institutional contexts, influencing:

    • Advertiser-targeting mechanisms that align users with businesses rather than individuals with criminal profiles.

  • Profiles influence many aspects of life:

    • Job applications, self-presentation on professional networks, and predictive analytics in advertising.

Exercises and Practical Application

Profile Data Analysis Activity

  • Log into a digital/social media account and list required and voluntarily provided data points:

    • Common Data Points: Name, email address, birthdate, gender, etc.

    • Analyze norms presupposed by these data points and the responses required.

References

  • Bernard, A. "Profiles: The Development of a Format." The Triumph of Profiling: The Self in Digital Culture.

  • Foucault, M. The Archaeology of Knowledge.

  • Foucault, M. The History of Sexuality: An Introduction.