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Is Performative Activism bad?

Is Performative Activism bad?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the world listened to an ongoing battle of police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. The video of police killing George Floyd went viral on Instagram and Twitter, followed by countless black squares...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on Is Performative Activism bad?

Cloud computing: Shadow, the line between privacy and illegality

With the introduction of streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu or Disney+ a new era of  cloud computing emerged. After the already existing cloud storage services, for example GoogleDrive, you now too can stream your favorite films through the...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on Cloud computing: Shadow, the line between privacy and illegality
Leading the fight against coronavirus, the State…or Apple and Google?

Leading the fight against coronavirus, the State…or Apple and Google?

Figure one: Getty Images. TraceTogether Phone Image. 17 Apr. 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52325352. In the month of March, as more than half the world’s population headed into lockdown, internet privacy campaigner Maciej Cegłowski released his relatively worryingly titled article “We Need...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on Leading the fight against coronavirus, the State…or Apple and Google?

‘Reinventing the wheel’ – how online activism and e-bikes reduce the carbon footprint

Abstract: E-bikes are becoming an element of the clicktivism culture and by appearing eco-friendly they propose activist solutions to only a small group of people. This paper analyses the implications of e-bikes, how they help to develop a low-effort...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on ‘Reinventing the wheel’ – how online activism and e-bikes reduce the carbon footprint
Arcturian Supernova: Hyper-real religions and the future of belief

Arcturian Supernova: Hyper-real religions and the future of belief

This entry aims to shine a light on hyper-real religions—digitally mediated religions that are born in a digital medium and aggregate pop-culture elements in their spiritual doctrines (Possamai). This will be done by presenting the “Artcturians” Facebook group as...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on Arcturian Supernova: Hyper-real religions and the future of belief
Live-Stream Shopping: The Future of E-Commerce?

Live-Stream Shopping: The Future of E-Commerce?

In the era of e-commerce, did you imagine that one day we can buy a Maserati, a house, or even a rocket launch service on our smartphones? Don’t be surprised. It is certainly happening on the live-stream shopping platforms...
By Yingying Chen on 09/28/20 Comments Off on Live-Stream Shopping: The Future of E-Commerce?
Help the food delivery couriers out: would you like to wait 5 more minutes ?

Help the food delivery couriers out: would you like to wait 5 more minutes ?

The food delivery frenzy China has the largest food delivery services market in the world, which is expected to exceed 300 billion Yuan in 2020. The market is a duopoly, dominated by two platforms – Ele.me and Meituan, respectively owned...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on Help the food delivery couriers out: would you like to wait 5 more minutes ?
We have Fans at Home: Artists x Twitch Streaming

We have Fans at Home: Artists x Twitch Streaming

Thanks to the pandemic, Artists on Twitch is an emerging subculture that utilises the platforms affordances to provide a candid intimated experience for fans, while being able to receive support simultaneously. As always, while individuals are creating content for...
By Samuel Vitikainen on 09/28/20 Comments Off on We have Fans at Home: Artists x Twitch Streaming

TikTok, it’s Trump O’Clock: Discussing the Motivations Behind Banning Popular Platform

Abstract: Following the banning of TikTok on US-based online mobile app stores, I argue that, rather than privacy, TikTok is being banned because the platform threatens the Trump administration. It poses a threat since the app is not owned...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on TikTok, it’s Trump O’Clock: Discussing the Motivations Behind Banning Popular Platform
It’s a Small World – Oculus’ Quest 2 Redefine Distance

It’s a Small World – Oculus’ Quest 2 Redefine Distance

Oculus Quest 2, Facebook’s latest wireless Virtual Reality (VR) headset, was released in September 2020. Similar to its predecessor Oculus Quest, the gadget has been largely used for gaming, however this is not where the possibilities end. According to...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on It’s a Small World – Oculus’ Quest 2 Redefine Distance

AI comment moderation: Perspective API – a case study

With the increasing relevance of online social networking practices, forums of discussion have come to play a significant role in shaping the public opinion. Emerging from the panorama of Artificial intelligence employed to moderate online conversations is Perspective API,...
By Sofia Rastelli on 09/28/20 Comments Off on AI comment moderation: Perspective API – a case study
“I identify as a unicorn”- queering your augmented reality

“I identify as a unicorn”- queering your augmented reality

Last month, Amsterdam’s new museum for digital art Nxt Museum opened. In one of their first offered activities, you could follow a workshop by Jeremy Bailey in which you were invited to make face filters within the application Lens Studio. ...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on “I identify as a unicorn”- queering your augmented reality
Designing identities with Memojis – Apple’s animated avatars

Designing identities with Memojis – Apple’s animated avatars

Apple's new feature - Memoji - allows its users to design animated versions of their digital characters, which can be later shared with other iOS device owners. What does an introduction of this affordance entail for human practices of...
By Zuzanna Kędzia on 09/28/20 Comments Off on Designing identities with Memojis – Apple’s animated avatars
Co-star: Personalized astrology as a form of communication

Co-star: Personalized astrology as a form of communication

Astrology, the study of cosmic objects, human patterns and seasonal shifts, has been practiced for decades, predominantly in three different cultures, Western, Hindu, and Chinese. For some, it exists as a coping mechanism to cushion uncertainty. However, for others,...
By on 09/28/20 Comments Off on Co-star: Personalized astrology as a form of communication
How One Browser Extension Raises a Sword Against Fake News

How One Browser Extension Raises a Sword Against Fake News

Identifying media biases as a corrosive influence on the consumer, the browser extension TrustedNews aims to fight it at the point of delivery.
By Neelesh Vasistha on 09/27/20 Comments Off on How One Browser Extension Raises a Sword Against Fake News
No card, No Phone, No problem! Alipay: Pay with your face, A balance between convenience, security and privacy

No card, No Phone, No problem! Alipay: Pay with your face, A balance between convenience, security and privacy

Can you imagine that you are able to pay without mobile phones, bank cards, and cash? Alipay made it happen in 2017, and it provides the facial recognition payment that lets people make payments by scanning their faces. In...
By on 09/27/20 Comments Off on No card, No Phone, No problem! Alipay: Pay with your face, A balance between convenience, security and privacy
Picturing visual search technology

Picturing visual search technology

Visual Search affords searching with images instead of words. How is this computer vision kind of technology used? Applications range from marketing, to car parts and health care. Debate arises on security and privacy issues.
By on 09/27/20 Comments Off on Picturing visual search technology
Doctor Who? How the automation of healthcare, through smartphone apps and digital biomarkers, is reshaping our understanding of ‘health’.

Doctor Who? How the automation of healthcare, through smartphone apps and digital biomarkers, is reshaping our understanding of ‘health’.

For almost a century, our desire for automation has shaped the way we communicate, operate, and manage our lives, and now, it is shaping our understanding and relationship with healthcare. ‘Digital biomarkers’ are the new wave of big user-generated...
By Matthew Marshall on 09/27/20 Comments Off on Doctor Who? How the automation of healthcare, through smartphone apps and digital biomarkers, is reshaping our understanding of ‘health’.
OnlyFans: The Digital World is Changing Intimacy

OnlyFans: The Digital World is Changing Intimacy

We are all somewhat familiar with online intimacy; couples who met on Tinder, friends who get freaky on Facetime, loved ones who connect on Zoom from across the globe. However, in the age of COVID-19 where social distancing...
By on 09/27/20 Comments Off on OnlyFans: The Digital World is Changing Intimacy
Spotify Playlists Are The New Genre

Spotify Playlists Are The New Genre

When thinking of streaming music, Spotify will probably come to your mind immediately. The platform allows its users to browse for new music as well as it suggests new songs based on their listening behaviour. However, it seems that...
By Loulou de Regt on 09/27/20 Comments Off on Spotify Playlists Are The New Genre
High Fidelity: 3D audio space as an antidote for Zoom-fatigue and a medium for organic interactions

High Fidelity: 3D audio space as an antidote for Zoom-fatigue and a medium for organic interactions

A virtual 3D audio space opens up a whole host of questions regarding high-level affordances. Can media such as this space afford something resembling natural communication? Has corona crisis changed the way we view new media objects and why...
By Karlygash Nurdilda on 09/27/20 Comments Off on High Fidelity: 3D audio space as an antidote for Zoom-fatigue and a medium for organic interactions
Supercell’s Brawl Stars; a step towards an ethical Freemium design in Mobile Gaming?

Supercell’s Brawl Stars; a step towards an ethical Freemium design in Mobile Gaming?

Supercell released their newest game, Brawl Stars, in December 2018. Its' business model marks a shift towards a more ethical design of Freemium games.
By Victor Loye on 09/27/20 Comments Off on Supercell’s Brawl Stars; a step towards an ethical Freemium design in Mobile Gaming?
Life is not a game or is it? The rise of Fortnite and it’s real life battles

Life is not a game or is it? The rise of Fortnite and it’s real life battles

Fortnite is a cooperative, battle royale style, online video game, released in 2017. The game has gained huge popularity and has made Epic Games, its developer, billions of dollars. It has also brought about a new way for people...
By Ilian Velasco on 09/27/20 Comments Off on Life is not a game or is it? The rise of Fortnite and it’s real life battles
Call to think: Twitter and Facebook urge users to fact-check information

Call to think: Twitter and Facebook urge users to fact-check information

Abstract:Aiming to nudge users in the right direction, Twitter introduced pop-up notifications if users want to (re-)post a news article that they have not opened yet, prompting them to be more aware of the content they are circulating to...
By Lara R. on 09/27/20 Comments Off on Call to think: Twitter and Facebook urge users to fact-check information