Author Profile

  • Demet Dagdelen
  • Url: http://www.metish.net
  • Posts: 7
  • About the user: My name is Demet and I am deeply dippy with all things digital. I am Turkish-Kurdish but I've been living in Hungary for the last 11 years, currently I am in Amsterdam doing an MA in New Media at the UvA. I am interested in the flow of information in a multi-platform environment and the role of the middlemen in the web ecology. Currently I am writing my -very data-driven - thesis on Anonymous. I have a BA in Communication and Media Studies from Hungary and I used to do a BSc in Mathematics, but I just transferred to Computer Science, which brings me tons of excitement and joy every day. Really, it does.

Author Archive

Google’s Newrosis: How the issue language pre-determines the content of Google search results

Demet Dagdelen | 21 March 2012, 5:28 am | 1 comment | tags: , , , ,

Newroz is a traditional Iranian new year holiday celebrated by Kurdish people between March 18 and 21. During this year’s celebrations, unnecessary police violence resulted in the death of a politician in Turkey. However, since Turkey lifted the ban on Newroz celebrations in 2000, it also reclaimed the event as a Turkish celebration and its spelling with a ‘w’ still remains illegal. In Turkey, the celebration is officially spelled with a v: Nevruz. I queried Google News (with language settings set to English) for these two different spellings referring to the same celebration and was met with different world views and prioritization of news content. Furthermore, querying Google Images for these two terms show how the Turkish government has reclaimed Newroz as a very Turkish celebration of coming of spring.

Meanwhile in Hungary

Demet Dagdelen | 02 November 2011, 3:02 am | tags: , , , ,

When the new media law for Hungary was passed on 21st of December 2010, many people were outraged at how much of a setback it was for press freedom in Hungary. A Facebook page named “One million people for the freedom of the Hungarian press” gained huge attention when it organized its first protest on 14th of January 2011…

Nicholas Carr didn’t convince me

Demet Dagdelen | 19 October 2011, 11:14 pm | 4 comments

I came upon an article today that said that research shows that Facebook popularity might be predicted by brain regions or in more sensational terms “Facebook may be changing people’s brains“. The research was based on 165 people: “One limitation of the study was that researchers couldn’t say which came first  –  whether large social networks cause thickening…

There’s an xkcd for that! (GeoHash: A Spontaneous Adventure Generator app)

Demet Dagdelen | 09 October 2011, 8:21 pm

(Christmas GPS by xkcd)

I’ve been a very avid iPhone user since 2008, ever since then it has been an extension of my arm and brain. It was my first mobile phone and my excitement over having access to the internet wherever I go never wore off. I tried out lots of different apps…

How to do comparative media analysis on the web: Start small.

Demet Dagdelen | 03 October 2011, 11:52 am | tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Comment distribution on the web

I’ve always thought that in order to understand a network, like the web, better, we should be able to understand as much of the objects and actors that the network itself is made of, as possible. Whilst finishing my BA in Communication and Media Studies, I wanted to write my thesis about how/whether the structure of

…

Book review: In the Plex by Steven Levy

Demet Dagdelen | 20 September 2011, 9:08 pm | tags: , , ,

“I wanted to write a book that got the reader inside Google and learned about its thought process, the way it planned and built products, its visions for the future, and the way it struggled with issues like China, competitive challenges, regulation, and the (perhaps) inevitable inertia that plagues companies as they get big. To do that I needed unprecedented access, and Google took a risk and gave it to me. “

The like button: Something mutual, nothing too personal

Demet Dagdelen | 14 September 2011, 5:58 pm | tags: , , , , , ,

An interview with an average net user about the role of the virtual in her life.