Digital Literacies Project

For my digital literacies project, I will be studying the website www.imdb.com, more specifically, the discussion boards on the website. There is a discussion board for every movie, tv show, and celebrity that you can find on imdb. The more popular movies and shows get dozens of posts on a daily basis, visited by people of both genders, from ages preteen to elderly. Most people do it simply for fun, others like to stir up debates, or get answers to a question they might have about said movie. For my research project, I am going to study the discussion board for the popular tv show Once Upon A Time (if necessary I can also study the discussion boards for the tv show Bones and/or Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Once Upon A Time (hereafter referred to as OUAT) starts its third season this month and has a huge following from a wide variety of a crowd. I have been a fan of the show since it began and have visited the discussion board from time to time. I plan to study what kinds of posts get people riled up, which ages and genders focus on what issues, and I will post in the discussion board myself. I have no doubt that it will be interesting and entertaining, with an endless supply of material.

Meet the Author

Katie O'Regan Kahlenbeck is currently a first-year graduate student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, working toward her goal of earning a Master's Degree in English. Born and raised here in Anchorage, Katie first joined UAA after finishing high school in 2008, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre in 2012. After spending a year in the world of working full-time, Katie decided to return to UAA to receive her MA. Katie's potential career goals are to be an editor (or perhaps journalist) and novelist. She is currently working on her debut novel, a psychological suspense tale. One of her main life goals is to travel around the world. Katie is a fan of theatre, music, movies, and boys.