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

Tinder vs. Bumble: Can You Afford Falling in Love?

From its very beginning, “the Internet has supported social interaction and the search for a soul mate” (Whitty 212). This research explores the dating app phenomenon in-depth, comparing two popular dating apps: Tinder and Bumble. How do Tinder’s affordances...

By Joshua McDonald on 10/24/19 Comments Off

You Cannot Weigh Beauty (but Your Body can be Commercialized)

Introduction In the media women bodies are often portrayed by the preference of thin body types characterized as ideal body types (Martin et al 609). For instance, when looking at the United States, women shown on television tend to...

By Silke Mulder on 10/24/19 Comments Off

“Clue”: Are period tracking apps reinforcing gender norms?

About 9 months ago a close friend introduced me to ”Clue”, a mobile application she claimed to have changed her life. It is a menstrual cycle tracking app that allows you to follow your periods, ovulation and other aspects...

By Yarden Skop on 09/24/17 Comments Off

‘It Gets Better’ and the Power of Online Media Activism

Not everyone on this earth gets the respect or at least tolerance that they deserve. In this world discrimination is such a big problem that it seems almost unsolvable. People get discriminated against for all sorts of reasons. LGBT...

By Ineke Scheffers on 10/19/12 3

Pinning Down Female Roles

Pinterest provides many fascinating points for discussion and research. By being active on Pinterest we engage in a process of shortcut identity formation through pre-existing images. It is not merely about collecting images that relate to our perfect life and aspirations,...

By Sonia Kolasinska on 10/15/12 1

My infotainment thesis

I chose the New Media master for several reasons. 1. I want to expand my view and expertise from Television to New Media. 2. New Media is the future. 3. I’m interested in the way television is more and...

By Floor Broer van Dijk on 09/09/10 Comments Off

Book Review of Cyber Racism – Jessie Daniels, 2009

I realize the commonly held view that abortion is murder and that white women should be having children instead of aborting them. However, black women are much more likely to have abortions than white women. (...) Those fetuses that...

By ellen sluis on 09/12/09 Comments Off