New Media M.A. Research Blog | Media Studies, University of Amsterdam

The Game of Life: A case study of video games as social platforms

Introduction Human connection, the feeling of being accepted or even loved. What does human connection look like in our digital day and age? Dating apps like Tinder are obviously a very modern tool of people reaching each other, but...

By Martijn van Schip on 10/24/19 Comments Off

The new Xbox adaptive controller, another step towards digital inclusion?

It is not easy for some players to enjoy the virtual experience of video games. Microsoft noticed the issue and, to break down the barriers faced by people with disabilities, the multinational technology company just launched a couple weeks...

By Camille Godineau on 09/23/18 Comments Off

Is Apple our Online-Privacy Vigilante?

Abstract: Apple purports that its new Intelligent Tracking Prevention Technology integrated in Safari browser prevents 3rd-party cookies from collecting users’ data, therefore, reducing online ads, and ultimately protecting users’ privacy. This paper challenges this by arguing that ITP’s functionality...

By K. Abdulghani on 09/24/17 Comments Off

Mobile Apps as a New Level of Reality

“New Media”. This collocation is used so often nowadays (and not just by researchers or practitioners, but by journalists, self-proclaimed experts and general populace) that it takes a conscious effort to take a step back and ask “What’s new...

By Leonid Goryachev on 09/15/15 Comments Off

“SOMEBODY”. Because “Texting is tacky. Calling is awkward. Email is old.”

By encouraging real-life interactions between strangers, Somebody is one of the most interesting apps launched lately. While messaging becomes an ordinary activity incorporated in most people’s lives nowadays, the artist Miranda July, in a partnership with the fashion brand...

By Gabriel Reis on 09/18/14 Comments Off

3D printing: a tool in revolutionizing the books for visually impaired children

From clothes, jewelry, food, accessories and furniture to aircraft engine parts and even artificial limbs, almost everything can be created nowadays with a 3D printer. But let’s see what happens when this technology is used to offer a new...

By Andreea Mironiuc on 09/17/14 Comments Off

Coffee: Just an Energy Boost or a Social Atmosphere?

Coffee has been at the centre of our lives in one form or another since the 15th century. When you think about coffee, many things probably come to mind. We use it to wake us up, to give us...

By Ferdy Looijen on 10/19/12 3

Design your own reality with Stiktu

Recently, Dutch software-firm Layar introduced Stiktu, an application that lets users be creative with augmented reality. The app runs on iPhone and Android platforms and aims to be the next best thing in social media, blurring the boundaries between...

By Robert Silvis on 10/05/12 2

Jodi Dean Says “There Is No Such Thing as the Social”

After Geert Lovink’s enthusiastic welcome speech, which also introduced Social What? Defining the Social, the first session of UnlikeUs #2, Jodi Dean (pictured right) took to the stage and launched into...

By Catalina Iorga on 03/10/12 Comments Off

Out with the bookcase: More living space, even more books!

Let me tell you a story about my sister. Isn’t that a good introduction to a blog, share a story with complete strangers online involving private family matters? Though she may not like it, I won’t give her name...

By Hans Terpstra on 10/16/10 3

Online and Offline Social Networks Evolving/Defriending

Continuing on Kimberley’s post on social network defriending, I’d like to stress some other points relating to social network defriending and its possible context. The Dunbar Number Research by Sociologist Robert Dunbar shows that, at a random moment in...

By Maarten Hoogvliet on 09/30/09 Comments Off