In recent decades, the practice of media collaboration has been redefined by technologies that enable people to communicate and share environments across the globe. Social networking, blogging and vlogging, wikis, instant messaging, webcasting, and gaming environments are just a few of the methods available. We live in a world of ever-expanding networks, and the ways we process and "mash up" the sounds, images, multimedia, and data reflect the evolving connections between us. The very process of participation has evolved with the advent of these technologies, profoundly affecting business practices, education, creative processes, community life, and democratic citizenship. We have moved as a society from isolated, passive taking in of information to active engagement with others in reshaping the world. We are a participatory culture. This course introduces the concept of social media and the mashup process as collaborative cultural exchange. While studying remix culture and collaborative process, students develop a variety of projects that involve mashing up media using Web-based techniques of media creation, editing, sharing, and online presentation. The result is a series of vignettes reflecting the distributed nature of our natural dynamic and bringing us together in cohesive cultural fusion.

In recent decades, the practice of media collaboration has been redefined by technologies that enable people to communicate and share environments across the globe. Social networking, blogging and vlogging, wikis, instant messaging, webcasting, and gaming environments are just a few of the methods available. We live in a world of ever-expanding networks, and the ways we process and "mash up" the sounds, images, multimedia, and data reflect the evolving connections between us. The very process of participation has evolved with the advent of these technologies, profoundly affecting business practices, education, creative processes, community life, and democratic citizenship. We have moved as a society from isolated, passive taking in of information to active engagement with others in reshaping the world. We are a participatory culture. This course introduces the concept of social media and the mashup process as collaborative cultural exchange. While studying remix culture and collaborative process, students develop a variety of projects that involve mashing up media using Web-based techniques of media creation, editing, sharing, and online presentation. The result is a series of vignettes reflecting the distributed nature of our natural dynamic and bringing us together in cohesive cultural fusion.