Digital media are all around us. Some have been around for a while: think of social media, dating apps, educational platforms like DuoLingo, and a wide range of digital entertainment products. But newer forms of digital media emerge at a rapid speed: encounters with chatbots, digital agents, and social robots become increasingly common; the metaverse provides us with a whole new space to extend our offline existence; virtual reality provides us with previously unthinkable experiences; and generative AI challenges our ability to distinguish what is real from what is not.

In the first half of this course, you will get familiar with research that explains how these and other digital media products influence the entertainment experiences, education, social lives, and behavior of different groups. We also talk about responsible digital practices aimed at keeping as many as possible on board in the digital world. In the second half of the course, you’ll delve into a user-centered design project in which you will collaboratively design a new digital media product. This way, Digital Media Lifestyles provides you with academic knowledge regarding digital media use and effects while also preparing you to use this knowledge in practice. By the end of the course, you will be able to critically reflect on the digital society of which we are part and have gained practical skills allowing you to contribute to the beneficial application of digital media products in a variety of societal domains.