Assessment 3: Case Study of a Participatory Digital Platform In this assessment you will work independently to research and analyse the use of a participatory digital platform by an individual, group, community or institution as an instance or 'case' within what we understand as a participatory society or culture. The platform must be a different platform to your group report and may also include a mobile app or a combination of digital media (such as an app, website and facebook page). The case study must identify and analyse at least one critical issue in depth and identify the research method and approach used for your analysis. Sample platform types and platforms Writing: Blogs (Wordpress, tumblr), Wikis, Google docs Video: YouTube, Vimeo, Hulu Images: Flickr, Instagram, Deviantart, Snapchat Collections: Social bookmarking (CiteULike, Delicious), Pinterest Audio: SoundCloud, Spotify Social Networking: Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Path, LinkedIn Dating: Tinder, eHarmony Web and Twitter mashups: transport (e.g. bikely) explore (e.g. geocaching), trends (e.g.Trendsmap), music (e.g. SongDNA), tasks (e.g. remember the milk) Locative: Google maps, Ushahidi, FourSquare, Swarm Messaging: WhatsApp, Kik, iMessage Forums: reddit, Digg, Slashdot Virtual World: Second Life, IMVU, Habbo Hotel Crowdsourcing/funding: change.org, Kickstarter, Gofundme What is a case study? A case study is an established qualitative research method used in social and cultural research that allows you to extend and focus your understanding of a complex issue or object. It is, as Robert Stake explained, "the study of the particularity and complexity of a single case, coming to understand its activity within important circumstances" (pg 68 cited in Gray (2003)). A good case study is more than just descriptive and in addition to supporting detailed explanation allows for broader claims about social and cultural processes and/or structures to be made. Planning This assessment requires that you research and write independently. Planning is an important process for both individual and group-based research and writing. Some approaches to planning your case study are provided on vUWS . Submission The completed case study must be submitted as a PDF or Word document to Turnitin. Word Count 1500 Marking Criteria (30% of total mark) Writing 25% Research 25% Critical Analysis 25% Response to Question 25%