Digital Culture and Society

<p>This article is written as part of one of the courses of the BA Online Culture: Art, Media and Society or the MA Online Culture at Tilburg University. <a href="https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/bachelors-programs/online-cu..." target="_blank">Click on the link for more info on the courses and the programme.</a></p>

<p>In this international Bachelor’s program Online Culture: Art, Media and Society (Culture Studies) the focus is on digital culture and (new) media. From disciplines such as cultural studies and media studies you study how digitalization and globalization influence our way of living. You discuss new ways of communication, art expressions as well as (social) media expressions like memes and trolls. You research how such ways of communication and expressions are established and how they manifest in, and have influence on a society that increasingly takes place online. Additionally, you actively contribute to digital culture by writing papers and opinion pieces for our own online platform Diggit Magazine.</p>

Replika: the imaginary friend of the digital age

Paper

Wulan Bekker

06/11/2023

11 minutes to read

This article explores the extent to which social relationships with AI chatbots are possible while using Replika as a case study. This research argues that post-digital society’s view on relationships has altered due to AI interactions.

The unintended consequences of taking misinformative electoral content off the air

Article

Helena Secaf dos Santos

02/10/2023

11 minutes to read

The regulatory strategy of taking online content off the air to counter electoral misinformation might backfire and create more distrust in democratic institutions.

A 3D model of the +15 social credit meme.

Good Job, +15 Points: How the internet makes sense of China’s Social Credit Score system

Article

Pak Wing Ng

09/10/2023

22 minutes to read

This paper dives into the analysis of the use and implications of Internet memes based on China's Social Credit Score System (SoCS) on the premise of constructing a common ground between Western and Eastern online communities.

A.I. Music and Identity Shaping: Soulless Computer Music Versus Soulful Human Music

Article

Wessel Joosten

04/09/2023

17 minutes to read

Artificial Intelligence in the music industry has been growing in public discourse. Can A.I. music get on par with traditional music and shape similar social identities?

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.

Lil Miquela: the first AI social media influencer

AI Influencers: Celebrities of the Future or a Failed Marketing Product?

Article

Anna Skorodihina

02/11/2022

12 minutes to read

This article explores the new world of AI influencers: are they the future of social media or will they be left in the past? To answer this question, the author looks into the user engagement with content by and about these new influencers.

Data-driven shopping: Nike's House of Innovation

Article

Femke van Bree

20/02/2023

11 minutes to read

Allegedly, Nike's HOI stores are ''the future of retail''. These data-driven stores offer a digitalized customer experience that is unlike anything else. What are the implications of Nike's data usage and is this usage ethical?

Is Digital Couture the next fashion breakthrough?

Paper

Noa El-Kassri

15/11/2021

9 minutes to read

Digital fashion could have a major impact on influencer culture and consumerism. It also can be a sustainable answer to the mass production of clothing. Arguments against it include NFTs, it being fake and that you can't wear it offline.