Students should select a new media technology/platform/practice and construct an academic argument around it. It needs to be a specific argument, that tells the reader something about the relationship between this new media technology/platform/practice and society more generally. Don’t just give a technological description or history. For example the argument: ‘Facebook has facilitated new forms of protest’ would be a good topic, whereas a broad history of Facebook’s technological development would fail. The essay should do the following (it does not have to be in this order): Briefly describe the historical development of your new media technology/platform/practice in relation to your overall argument (Do not go into unnecessary detail, 1 paragraph should be enough for most technologies) Articulate a sophisticated academic argument about this new media technology/platform/practice Critically analyse the cultures that surround the technology/platform/practice and explain why they are important or significant Examine any conflicts and tensions that surround the technology/platform/practice State why it is important to understand this new media technology/platform/practice in this way