Advertising,
Communication and the Internet

Pre-Course Reading

You are expected to read these two online texts in preparation for the course. We will be discussing them so this is particularly important. Dibbell, Julian (1993): 'A Rape in Cyberspace, or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database Into a Society' (original version from The Village Voice, December 21st, pp. 36-42) Stone, Allucquère (Sandy) (1996): 'In Novel Conditions: The Cross-Dressing Psychiatrist'. In The War of Desire and Technology at the Close of the Mechanical Age. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 65-81 You should also read at least one of the following texts in preparation for the course. By the time you submit the examined assignment (after the course) you are expected to have consulted (and to have referred to) several of them. You may also find useful material in the Suggested Reading section. Andres, Clay (2002): Designing Online Identities: Successful Graphic Strategies for Brands on the Web. Gloucester, MA: Rockport (likely to be useful for your examined assignment) Chandler, Daniel (1998): 'Personal Home Pages and the Construction of Identities on the Web'. Paper for a conference of the Aberystwyth Post-International Group on the theme of Linking Theory and Practice: Issues in the Politics of Identity (9-11 September 1998 University of Wales, Aberystwyth). [WWW document] URL http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/webident.html Harrison, Amy E (2001): 'Where Are They Now? Online Identities on the Commercial Web' [WWW document] URL http://cct.georgetown.edu/thesis/amyharrison.pdf Myers, Greg (1999): Ad Worlds: Brands, Media, Audiences. London: Arnold. Online Extract: 'Advertising, Interaction, and the World Wide Web' Nielsen, Jakob (2000): Designing Web Usability. Indianapolis, IN : New Riders Nielsen, Jakob & Marie Tahir (2001): Homepage Usability: 55 Websites Deconstructed. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall Wallace, Patricia (2001): The Psychology of the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Wood, Andrew F & Matthew J Smith (2001): Online Communication. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum As a guide to what is expected in the examined assignment you may like to read this essay produced by a former AUEB student on this course... Katsika, Maria (2002): 'Comparison and Contrast of the Websites of Two Rival Global Brands' http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/aueb_maria_katsika_2002.zip As a guide to my own semiotic approach you may like to consult... Chandler, Daniel (1999): Semiotics for Beginners (translated into Greek by Professor Maria Constantopoulou) [WWW document] URL http://www.mcm.aueb.gr/ment/semiotics/semiotic.html (English version at http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B)