Online, part-time

Digital Futures MA

The module explores current and emerging trends in the digital landscape, focusing on technological transformation concepts like trendsetting, prediction, and future casting. It uses a historically informed theoretical approach to examine social and technical changes through past, present, and future examples of emerging media.

Looking at the material aspects and functionalities of various media platforms and products, you’ll investigate the impact of innovations such as platformisation, automation, mediatisation, appification, and gamification on users' lives.

You’ll develop analytical methods of critically and ethically evaluating digital phenomena, and a systematic understanding of digital contexts for your own investigations into alternative digital futures. 

This module explores how digital technologies impact the sustainability of ecosystems, infrastructures, communities, and livelihoods. You'll critically examine the exploitative and extractive aspects of digital culture, from raw material mining to the harvesting of training data for AI models.

Assessing the ecological impact of digital technologies, you’ll also analyse how digital platforms can exacerbate inequality and political instability. But the module isn’t just about recognising barriers to sustainability; it also challenges you to adopt a solutions-oriented stance, equipping you to imagine more ethical, equitable, and sustainable digital futures.

Drawing on case studies from green design, policy making, art and activism, you’ll collaborate with peers and develop proposals for positive change. 

The Research Dissertation is a compulsory part of the Digital Futures MA. You'll undertake a research project in an area related to one or more of the modules you’re taking.

You'll be assigned a supervising member of staff who will initiate the project and seek out relevant collaborations, where necessary and possible, within the Schools and Departments participating in the programme.

The project will involve theoretical empirical work. A dissertation of up to 10,000 - 12,000 words is expected. Approval for any practical element should be obtained from both your supervisor and the Programme Director. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) encompasses technologies including conversational interfaces, self-driving cars, and applications in policing, medical care, and social care. This overview explores AI's diverse applications, along with its associated key issues and debates.

Consequently, you’ll develop a deep understanding of AI's current developments. We'll evaluate AI's use in various fields, understand the technical concepts behind these uses, and address the societal challenges posed by AI.

We'll also reflect on potential responses, including policy and regulations, to manage AI's impact. In doing so, you’ll then be able to evaluate AI applications from a critical and ethical standpoint in your substantial investigations. 

This module provides a critical introduction to the gaming industries and their intersecting cultures. We'll treat the gaming sector as a series of industries across various platforms, with unique histories and contexts.

Topics include the development of industry sectors over time and space, global and regional structures, the nature of careers in gaming, and industry segments (e.g., AAA, casual, indie).

We'll also cover media adaptation, localisation for different markets, and the complex interplay between gaming cultures and industry.

Key focus areas include diversity, representation, co-creation, places of play, eSports, streaming, and other emerging trends in gaming cultures. 

This module examines the global circulation of physical and virtual media, highlighting the power of distributors and publishers to determine how audiences access and engage with media.

Offering insights into the mechanics of formal distribution, the module also shines a light on the informal distribution strategies of pirates, bootleggers and fan communities.

Drawing on media archaeology, infrastructure studies, and distribution studies, among other fields, you'll explore how media are disseminated, archived, merchandised and repurposed today.

Focusing primarily on film and television, the module also addresses case studies from gaming, music, and the arts. 

This module enhances your understanding of social media platforms and their impact on digital marketing. It covers the theoretical relationship between social media, platforms, and marketing, supplemented with case studies and practical exercises.

You'll develop vital skills to evaluate social activity in the platform economy, examining phenomena like viral marketing, hype, and engagement within digital cultures.

The module focuses on critically appraising marketing practices and understanding their application in the digital domain. Additionally, you’ll gain hands-on experience in social media data analysis.