DMST 2200 Critical Approaches to Digital Media Midterm/ Fall 2010

Please complete the following questions by the end of class and email your answers to adrienne.russell09@gmail.com. If you don’t receive a confirmation email from me within a few hours send it again. Please make the subject of your email “midterm” and paste the answers into the body of the email. Do not send it as an attachment. You may use your books, notes, the Web, or any other source of information you find helpful (other than talking to your classmates). Be sure to read over the exam before you start so you can pace yourself.

Part I: Answer all of the following questions in a concise paragraph (roughly 3-7 sentences). Each answer is worth 15 points.
1. According to Henry Jenkins (but in your own words), what is media convergence? Please give an example.

2. How can code both allow for and constrain freedom online? Use examples to illustrate your points.

3. What is collective intelligence, what is an example of it on the Web?

4. What is the “Patriot Act” and why is it relevant to this class?

Part II: Choose one of the following three questions and write an essay that draws from the reading, discussions, in-class presentations, and any other material you think will support you answer. Please write clearly and concisely as possible and be sure to answer all elements of the question.

1. The internet is often described as free, yet there are many factors that shape the communication that takes place online. Please write an essay about what these factors are and how they fit together to influence the nature and functions of the internet. Include in your discussion an explanation of the role of intellectual property, code, corporations, governments and users. And please provide specific examples to support your answer from both within and outside of the US.

2. Advocates of net neutrality have built their arguments on the presumption that the internet is neutral, a “dumb network,” where all information is treated the same. Yet they support regulation of the internet to protect this so-called neutrality. Please write an essay explaining the debates surrounding net neutrality and whether you think it is possible to preserve neutrality through regulation. Please include in your answer an explanation of the implications of the debate for users, for companies that deliver content and services online, and for internet service providers.

3. In the digital age, copyright law is showing its wrinkles. Discuss the argument made by Lawrence Lessig regarding the source of the problem and his solutions for it. Illustrate the case with specific examples (like artists, genres, or legal cases). What compromises might arise under such proposed change?