Latest papers

TPCS 1: Lessons in textspeak from Sexy Chick: Supervernacular literacy in South African Instant and Text Messaging

Working paper

The Editors

01/09/2011

The uptake of mobile phones has created new communicative environments which in turn create new possibilities and opportunities for identity making and the making of (super)communities.

APESHIT: The Carters versus Globalization and Art

Paper

Jaimy Pijpers

10/02/2023

10 minutes to read

An analysis of the music video of APESHIT by the Carters. The music video criticizes the Western monopolization of Art. This paper analyses the music video through the perspective of McDonaldization, Colonialism, Art history, and World Art.

Baldwin and Coates: Activist postures as ‘live authorship’

Paper

Jop Gillissen

03/02/2023

30 minutes to read

A comparison of Baldwin's and Coates’ public intellectual positions and their works The fire next time and Between the world and me, for a more inclusionary idea of authorship than Barthes’ death of the Author, using Foucault’s author function.

Ghislaine Handiri: Authentic Self-Presentation on Social Media

Paper

Noa Reijnen

27/01/2023

9 minutes to read

This paper describes how one specific influencer, Ghislaine Handiri, presents herself as authentic on Instagram and how Instagram as a mediator influences and shapes her authenticity.

How Andrew Tate uses media literacy to gain online influence

How Andrew Tate gains influence through his media literacy

Paper

Femke van Bree

23/01/2023

19 minutes to read

Despite getting banned several times on a wide variety of online platforms, Andrew Tate continues to gain influence online. This article analyses Andrew Tate’s online presence, to show how he deploys his media literacy to spread his ideas.

The mockumentary film and TV show ‘What We Do In The Shadows’

Paper

Kelly Burnet

13/01/2023

17 minutes to read

Modern cinema and popular culture are not done with vampirism. The award-winning mockumentary film and show 'What we do in the shadows' features vampires, and other monsters, trying to make sense of modern life.

Friends: From progressive for its time to failing to age well

Paper

Daisy van Belzen

09/01/2023

13 minutes to read

Does a show from the 90s have a place in our current culture, or has it become too culturally outdated? This study aims to show how a contemporary audience deals with an older cultural expression.

The Risks of Civil Disobedience Influenced by Online Culture

Academic paper

Bas Keemink

14/12/2022

17 minutes to read

On the basis of Ernesto Laclau's theory of political movements and current societal changes, this paper demonstrates that actions of civil disobedience in modern society that adhere to Arendt's criteria still have unfavorable effects.

R/place through the Lens of Relational Art

Paper

Marit van Dijck

09/12/2022

9 minutes to read

R/place is a perfect example of relational participatory art. This paper explores why it can be classified as such, and how it decommodifies and re-democratizes the collaborative, online pixel board artform.

methodology, digital discourse analysis, ethnography

From methodology to method and back. Some notes on digital discourse analysis

Working paper

Ico Maly

07/12/2022

Methodology may not be the most juicy stuff in academia, but it is crucial if we want to produce more than just opinions. In this article, Ico Maly stresses the importance of an empirical-interpretative methodology for social scientists.

Convergence culture in the video game industry

Paper

Szymon Zbiegniewski

05/12/2022

10 minutes to read

The NorCal and SCal culture industries are converging on multiple levels, and one of them is the video game industry. This paper explores how Fortnite revolutionized the way we perceive games.

Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

A lover or a monster: Jeffrey Dahmer in the true crime genre

Paper

Iris Dumoulin

30/11/2022

11 minutes to read

Netflix's newest series on Jeffrey Dahmer has sparked a large debate. In this study, I look at the Twitter conversations surrounding the Dahmer series and how they affect the broader conversation about the ethics of the true crime genre.

Whistleblowing: Sophie Zhang vs. Facebook

Paper

Lara Lovrič

28/11/2022

10 minutes to read

What can a single individual change by exposing the wrongdoings of a successful multinational corporation? This paper examines the case of a whistleblower who uncovered integrity violations and political manipulation facilitated by Facebook.