Evaluating sources for a social-media dance presentation

Keep the scholarly article as a starting point for concepts such as participatory culture, but check its relevance and date rather than treating it as proof about current TikTok. The two fan blogs are low reliability because ranking 'best dancers' is opinion, not evidence about how people learn. The five TikTok compilations are weak evidence: they have no credited creator, the student has watched only 20-second clips, and one reposts a professional dancer's choreography without credit. They can illustrate a point but cannot support a broad claim about 'young people'. Replace them with full videos that credit the choreographer and performer, an interview with a dance teacher or young dancer, a platform policy or industry report, and a counterexample of a teacher using social media for feedback. If TikTok is used, sample systematically and record dates and links. The reasoning is that a presentation needs credible, ethical evidence; unknown compilations are curated by someone else and cannot demonstrate a trend on their own.

The original claim, 'Social media has ruined dance technique', is causal and totalising; eight sources cannot support it and it invites obvious counterexamples. Rewrite it as: 'Social media has changed how many young dancers access and circulate choreography, creating both wider participation and new pressures to copy short, viral phrases.' This is defensible because it is specific about access and circulation, allows benefits and risks, and can be supported with examples. Structure: define the context (short-form video, algorithms, easy sharing); example 1, a dancer learning from a credited tutorial; example 2, an uncredited repost and the pressure to imitate a short phrase without training; counterargument, social media also builds community and gives feedback; evaluation using criteria such as credit, depth and technique; conclusion that answers the claim. Balance comes from including a counterexample and limiting the claim, not from adding more compilation clips.

Use links or embedded official posts rather than downloading and reposting clips. Credit the choreographer, performer and source, and seek permission for any clip used in the presentation or recorded assessment. Check school policy and platform terms. Copyright matters because choreography and performance are the dancers' work; an uncredited repost is both an ethical and a legal issue. Consent matters for image and for cultural material, especially if the clip shows a restricted or ceremonial dance. In an assessment, using other people's work without credit can undermine authenticity and make the presentation look like compilation rather than analysis. Keep a source log with dates, links and permissions. If permission is not available, describe the clip, use a screenshot only if allowed, or choose another example. The student should be able to say why each clip is included and what it proves.