Masters of Media

Vote yay or vote nay, but you just can’t ignore micro-targeting.

“Numbers and democracy have always been linked.”John Durham Peters proclaims, giving examples from Greek political systems to modern opinion surveys. He focuses on majority – the social force through numbers, that democracy uses to establish legitimacy (434). And when...

By Ketaki Chand on 09/24/18 0

From Cable TV to IGTV: The media might indeed be the message.

Abstract – Instagram’s new application, IGTV brings about a change in how we consume media. Will it act as a replacement for platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo or Snapchat sending them out of business? IGTV also raises questions about...

By Shikha Bajaj on 09/24/18 0

Will Elli.Q be on your Wishlist? Artificial Intelligence within Elderly Care, a Closer Look

As we’re zeroing in on October 1st, the International Day of Older Persons, it’s high time we turn the spotlight to our expeditiously ageing world. While healthcare professionals are tasked with overcoming staff shortages and budget cuts, new...

By Aikaterini Mniestri on 09/24/18 0

C´mon Apple, you as well!? – The iOS 12 Update will calculate your trust score

September has been an important month for Apple so far. The new iPhones have launched and the new iOS update has managed to overshadow the excitement of many Apple fans. One month ago, Facebook demonstrated a new way of...

By Luisa Zap on 09/24/18 0

Beyond-viral marketing, Nike just does it again

On September 3rd, 2018, Nike released their latest ad campaign to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their iconic ‘Just Do It’ brand. To the surprise of many, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the face of the campaign. This...

By Molly Doell on 09/24/18 0

Latinx, Brujx, Commodification and Community

Multimedia content creator and writer Johanna Ferreira writes in Hiplatina, about the fact that young Latin people (herself included), are increasingly distancing themselves from organized religion and instead turning to spirituality. Most Latin American households have some sort of...

By Iskra Ramirez on 09/24/18 0

– Great song, who’s that? – AI.

“Music that listens to you” (AI music) ‚ “We’re developing musical artificial intelligence to build tools for creative people” (Jukedeck). „AI music composer – create the prefect soundtrack for your VR game” (Amper). These are different start-ups’ slogans, but...

By Maria Swierblewska on 09/24/18 0

Technology in the Workplace, Slack and Privacy Issues

(Figure 1, Screenshot of Slack website page. Source: Slack, 2018) 1)- Technology in the Workplace: “As innovations in technology continue to proliferate, employees working in the modern workplace have access to an ever-increasing number of new technologies” (Swaya...

By Meriam Telhig on 09/24/18 0

Accept all Cookies

When the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect in the European Union in May 2018, its biggest impact for me as a web user was the scores of GDPR emails in my inbox and cookie consent requests...

By rachel blennerhassett on 09/24/18 0

“Can I Read Your Diary?”

Meditation apps, fitness apps, water intake apps, calorie count apps, menstrual cycle apps and, as of recently, journaling apps – all too popular, but the repercussions of data transparency online are rarely acknowledged. An ongoing trend Becoming...

By Oana Patrichi on 09/24/18 0

Is Blockchain Technology on the Verge of Revolutionising Our Lives?

Blockchain technology was originally created by Satoshi Nakamoto back in 2008 as the platform to power the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. While Bitcoin has been widely known for a number of years, it is the technology behind it that is...

By Shania O'Sullivan on 09/24/18 0

Are we ready to accept an AI judge?

Nowadays we live in an automated world full of algorithms that are shaping our actions and affecting our decisions by the use of predictive models of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We might feel okay by being “helped” to decide what...

By Bianca Crichigno on 09/24/18 0

Forcing Gamers to Gamble: The Star Wars Battlefront II loot boxes debate

Edit Edit status When Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) (SWBFII) released on 17 November there was a huge backlash from the gamer community surrounding the implemented loot boxes and micro transactions in general. In SWBFII the gamer plays...

By Thijs Wortel on 09/24/18 0

The Cost of Convenience: Alexa As A Cloud-Based A.I. Smart Home System

Alexa is seemingly the A.I. of choice for smart home users in the current digital environment, and with the introduction of an audio assisted A.I. system into homes with more and more compatible devices released every year, what is...

By Conor O'Doherty on 09/24/18 0

Are we compromising our privacy and safety for comfort and ease?

We are becoming more and more used to the idea of new technology being embedded, into our everyday lives and activities. Marshall McLuhan believes that we treat “technologies as extended bodily organs.” (Durham Peters) We are continuously experimenting...

By Cecilie Overgaard on 09/24/18 0

How Can Art Be Subversive in a Platform System? The Case of Benjamin Grosser

What would happen if one morning, a morning like many others, after you got up, you discovered that your Facebook home page is completely empty, without any type of content? I’m not talking about a crash or...

By Tommaso Campagna on 09/24/18 0

Hello, we’re from the internet: “Hacking” museum spaces using AR

A description of Augmented Reality as we know it today first appeared in 1901, when L. Frank Baum’s sci-fi novel called “The Master Key” was published. In this book, Baum describes the workings of a so-called ‘Character Marker.’...

By Aranka Kooi on 09/24/18 0

Are we being mollycoddled by our phones; or are usage accountability measures a necessary intervention?

In June 2018, Apple announced that functions on their latest iOS update were intended ‘to help customers understand and take control of the time they spend interacting with their iOS devices’(Apple, 2018). In the same month, Google announced its...

By Joe Burkinshaw on 09/24/18 0

The Ultimate ‘Data Selfie’: An era of self-tracking explosion

‘The End of Forgetting’: Self-tracking and the Quantified Self Humans are forgetful. We make errors. We easily neglect matters that are trivial. However, this is not a problem in the 21st century: we have self-tracking apps and devices to...

By A In Kwon on 09/24/18 0

Facebook’s Rosetta: How Are Algorithms Using Our Data?

Digital networking companies have started to build artificial intelligence software that can filter through unwanted content that may be offensive to their users. Facebook recently announced the latest addition to this trend with a machine learning program called Rosetta; software...

By Dana Lamb on 09/24/18 0

Autonomous Cars Are The Future – But For Whom Are They The Future For?

Autonomous cars have been hailed as the next leap for mankind in automotive transportation and infrastructure, offering not only advancements in private and public transport, but addressing difficulties in health infrastructure, emissions, road collisions, and government overheads on...

By Anna Mc Namara Taylor on 09/24/18 0