MCC Adds Topical Social Media Course to Communication Program for Fall 2014 Term

Manchester Community College is offering a new introductory course focused on social media in contemporary society this fall.

The course, catalog listing COM 113, is an addition to the college’s Communication degree program and reflects the growing influence of social media on the field, as well as the impact of changes this “new media” has brought about in the world.

Dr. Brion van Over is the instructor. “This is the one course to take where it will not only be OK to check and update your Facebook status in class, but it will be encouraged,” he said.

Social media is perhaps the most significant social force operating in society today, Dr. van Over noted. “It’s how people connect with old friends, meet new ones, keep in touch and share their lives with others,” he said.

Various forms of social media have recently played roles in political revolutions, prompted debate on new laws and regulations and facilitated national spying operations. “They have also eased the spread of messages capable of both supporting democracy and promoting hate,” according to Dr. van Over.

Topics to be covered include constructing an online identity, creating community online, the role of social media in the Arab Spring, legal issues such as privacy rights and ownership of digital content, as well as using social media to track the spread of illness and recover from natural disasters. Students will also look at social media and political campaigns, business branding, and the new sharing economy.

Dr. van Over added, “We will gain a set of tools for understanding how people use social media and the effects of that use. We will explore possible future impacts of social media on society, and discuss how they may most benefit society as a whole.”

In addition, students will learn strategies for safely and effectively participating in social media to accomplish their own goals, as they also analyze how others in the world are using social media to do the same.

For more information on MCC’s associate in science in communication and associate in science in journalism programs, as well as its certificate programs in electronic publishing, media technology and public relations, click here. MCC also offers one-day courses in social media. Information for these credit-free courses is available through the Continuing Education Division.