Masters of Media

“All I need is your face”: Issues of privacy and security as Apple introduces FaceID.

Apple revealed its latest tech miracle, Iphone X, and alongside came a (not-so) new feature: FaceID. Apple suggests that biometric technology is the solution to security issues and personal identification. But in a data-based economy, more often than not,...

By Nefeli Gkoni on 09/24/17 0

Giving MLM’s a Makeover: Are Beauty Gurus Legitimizing LipSense?

YouTube influencers have become increasingly important to businesses in the last few years. Viewers are turning to them to know what’s hot and what’s not. But, “with great power comes great responsibility” and online influencers should take this into...

By Nicole Leeflang on 09/24/17 0

Yelp for Humans: Technology Gone Wrong or Sign of a Dystopian Future?

Peeple, an application described as “Yelp for humans” launched in 2016, despite being mired in controversy. Even ‘Black Mirror’, a popular dystopian TV series, aired an episode about an app that was eerily similar, cementing Peeple’s distinction as nightmare...

By Derrek Xavier on 09/24/17 0

“Snooze”: Facebook’s Newest Feature that Enables Users to Temporarily Put Their Friends to “Sleep”

Are you done receiving certain posts from friends on your News Feed page on Facebook, like their vacation photos while you are sitting inside watching the pouring rain outside? Are you fed up with the Facebook Page that shares...

By Suzanne Hagoort on 09/24/17 0

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 0

The Kakao Empire: The South Korean Example of a Digitalized Lifestyle

In South Korea, you can do everything with Kakao. You can send an ice cream cake to your friends, get updates about new mobile games, manage a bank account, call a taxi and much, much more. Although it may...

By Trisha Lee on 09/24/17 0

You Snooze, You Lose? Temporary Time-Out from Friends on Facebook

Brace yourselves! Facebook is testing out a ‘snooze’ button that reportedly mutes people on your feed for up to 30 days. With the help of the emerging feature, you could (and hopefully will very soon) walk away from...

By Hanna Yerega on 09/24/17 0

Time to be honest? The consequences of virtual appreciation.

‘See who likes you’ is the slogan of the new iOS application ‘tbh’ that was launched this August. The app was built as a way to give “positive feedback and honest opinions” on your friends”. Sounds good, but what...

By Neb Nima on 09/24/17 0

Close The Gate Behind You.

Indy100.com : A professional news website consisting of the top 100 news stories from that day across 8 different topics. The editorials are displayed in list form, changing the hierarchy in accordance to how its readers interact with...

By Katie Clarke on 09/24/17 0

AI Algorithm as Personal Style Tracker

Design specifically with a GAN, to overcome fast-fashion and overconsumption What will happen when designers can exactly produce what consumers want and need? The generative adversarial network (GAN) founded by online shopping company Amazon can actually do this by...

By Vera Seegers on 09/24/17 0

Shitposting: an analysis of its practices and meanings

Sometimes, when friends comment on my affection for shitposting, I jokingly refer to my Facebook page as “a curation of the finest avant-garde memes”. This overtly pompous and purposefully pedantic way of describing content obviously undeserving of it is...

By JP de Magalhaes Guarnieri on 09/24/17 0

Made in China: The Rise of the SuperBanking App

Historically, the Western world has made the majority of its biggest and most innovative discoveries through travel and the colonisation of other areas and continents that took our fancy. From tobacco to chocolate, the Silk Road has long since...

By Aisling Crabbe on 09/24/17 0

Forever Alive: Facebook’s Death Policy and Memorialization

55 is the average age for people to make their will, according to a certified notary. The management and distribution of properties, money and important documents are the most common possessions in these wills. No one ever asked this...

By Drea Rodriguez Cervantes on 09/24/17 0

“Arena of Valor”: world’s top grossing mobile game is an auxiliary tool of social network

One April afternoon, I was lying on my bed and chatting with my friend on Wechat, suddenly, she asked ”Are you playing ‘Arena of Valor’ now? Look at my brilliant record!” and sent me a screenshot about her “penta...

By Chuyun Zhang on 09/24/17 0

One Man’s Trash, Another Man’s Treasure: The Fate of Our Deleted Data on Web

A madman is on the loose with a single aim of making all your deleted files re-appear on the web. Some of which are lame status updates that seemed cool back then, but some, graver. Flirtatious texts...

By Shefali Bharati on 09/24/17 0

The fake fame – Black market on social media

Sitting on a Saturday morning at my desk, it took me ten seconds to find a website which wanted to sell me 2,500 ‘quality Instagram followers’ to boost my account for the price of about 25€. The website claims...

By Mandy Theel on 09/24/17 0

Neural Networks: The Technology Behind FaceApp

There are countless photo editing apps available online, with dozens, if not hundreds, letting you change your face through the use of filters. So what is different about FaceApp? Well, this application does not use filters as we know...

By Andy on 09/24/17 0

The Future of Mass Surveillance Is Here (and We Are Excited About It)

On the 12th of September 2017 Apple announced the iPhone X, proclaiming that “the future is here”. According to the company the iPhone X contains multiple new technologies, one of which is Face ID. This new technology is described as...

By Yamila Bollen on 09/24/17 0

“What’s mine is yours”; sharing a wardrobe with strangers online with The Nu Wardrobe

Subletting a living space on Airbnb, sharing a car as mode of transportation with Blablacar or borrowing a stranger’s power drill for a couple of hours using Peerby has become a well-established and often used practice in 2017. Enter...

By Nora Lauff on 09/24/17 0

From Leiden to Livoberezhna:  How Memes of a Dutch Statue are Supporting Digital Activism in Ukraine

Introduction: Meeting the Awaiter As the old adage goes: “love makes you do strange things.” On August 18, love compelled me to cycle for over two hours in the sweltering and sweaty summer heat, from Amsterdam to Leiden University....

By Hayden Lutek on 09/24/17 0

Natural Cycles: Where pregnancy meets privacy

People use apps on a daily basis, or as Apple would say: “there is an app for that”. Apps are used for checking weather forecasts, reading the news and even finding – online – love. Nowadays, apps are even...

By Donna Wielinga on 09/24/17 0

Facial ID scanning: An advertisers’ dream, or a consumers’ nightmare?

A couple of weeks ago, a traveler noticed a camera in one of the digital advertising screens at a train station in the Netherlands. A photo of this ‘hidden’ camera was then posted on Twitter, questioning the purpose of these...

By Els Versluis on 09/24/17 0

Is Vidme the ‘NewTube’? Why video creators are changing sides and how they feel about it

A few weeks ago on September 9, video platform Vidme’s own channel uploaded their weekly episode of ‘This Week @ Vidme’ titled ‘German INVASION’. The video refers to a sudden and significant increase of German led channels on Vidme:...

By Frederike Lichtenstein on 09/24/17 0

What Apple’s new cookie blocker says about platforms and privacy

Apple’s new built-in cookie blocker may be welcomed by most consumers, but what does it say about the power yielded by the company, which maintains vast amounts of data on its own users? If platforms are allowed to make...

By Liam Corcoran on 09/24/17 0