Digital Cultures: Aesthetics, Markets, Industries
Overview
This unit examines the economic, geo-cultural, political and technological factors that shape digital cultures. Students will explore how cultures form around and are changed by digital platforms, and the intersections between key technological developments and new forms of entertainment, industry and art. Issues to be discussed include digital heritage, the digital value gap, monetization, local/global content debates, and digital aesthetics. The unit emphasises evidence-based analysis, research and critical thinking in order to analyse the dynamic relation between digital platforms and the cultures that surround them.
Requisites
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Use media and communications research methods to analyse the business models and industrial structures that underpin digital platforms
- Assess and explain the relationship between markets, culture and power in specific areas of the media industries
- Engage in informed, evidence-based debate about the impact of digital technologies on cultural practice and experience on global and local scale
- Use research methods to generate theoretical and strategic solutions to key issues impacting economies and cultures in an Australian and international context
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Lecture |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Class |
2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Specified Activities Various |
3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
| Unspecified Activities Various |
6.50 | 12 weeks | 78 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Assignment | Individual | 30% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Presentation | Group | 30% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Research Report | Individual | 40% | 1,2,3,4 |
Content
- Theories of culture, money and power
- Political economy
- Cultural economy
- Glocalization and global/local interactions
- The sharing and gig economies
- The economics and business models of streaming platforms
- Digital screen cultures and audiences
- Digital heritage and preservation
- The GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) industry in the digital age
- New aesthetic and narrative modes of the digital age
- Graduate Attribute 1 – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
- Graduate Attribute 2 – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Graduate Attribute 3– Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
- Graduate Attribute 4– Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
- Graduate Attribute 5– Digital Literacies: Information literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.