Social groups in the digital world

This course is part of the BA Online Culture: Art, Media and Society or the MA Online Culture at Tilburg University. Click on the link for more info on the courses and the programme.

In this international 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.

The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Gym Bro

Article

Joni Haak

Kaylee de Jongh

Julot Leijten

Sydney Benitez Chamman

09/12/2021

13 minutes to read

This article analyses how Gym Bro identity features on Instagram to gain comprehension of what requirements need to be met in order to reach a sense of enoughness and become recognized as a full-fledged member of the Instagram gym bro community.

The politics of Karen memes

Paper

Pleun Kersten

17/05/2021

10 minutes to read

This article analyzes the 'karen' meme, and how it has evolved as a critique of white supremacy.

neo racism and banal nationalism of the AFD

How the AFD tries to divide Germany

Article

Nathalie Schabio

13/02/2021

12 minutes to read

Germany is in a fight against racism since the second world war. However, the increasing popularity of the right party AFD is challenging the goal of achieving equality. Neo-racism and banal nationalism aggravate the political and social climate.

Famke Louise: The impact of social media on polarization

Article

Lily Francois

25/01/2023

10 minutes to read

Famke Louise got trapped in a filter bubble, which she vocalized with a #ikdoenietmeermee-movement. This called for surveillance as a reaction to her deviant behavior, resulting in influencer-incredibility.

Joe Biden wins 2020 presidential elections with the help of black voters

Joe Biden, George Floyd and #BLM: how Biden won the race for presidency.

Article

Nikki Lavrijssen

21/01/2021

20 minutes to read

This article demonstrates how presidential candidate Joe Biden profited from George Floyd's death and the consequent rise of the #BLM movement by using the situation to win over Black voters. An analysis of his tweets reveals how he did this.

E-boys and the emergence of new subcultures

Article

Gabriel Kuczyński

21/01/2021

9 minutes to read

This article examines the e-boy phenomenon and a Reddit discussion on why they should not wear band t-shirts and Thrasher merchandise, with a focus on gatekeeping and stereotypes.

#iwanttoseenyome campaign against racial-bias on Instagram

Racial bias and #IWantToSeeNyome on Instagram

Article

Flávia Stienstra

21/01/2021

16 minutes to read

This article analyzes the discourses surrounding the removal of photographs of black curvy model Nyome Nicholas-Williams, which incited a discussion on Instagram’s racial bias practices leading to policy change on adult nudity.

The Super-Predator: How Discourse Shaped Sentencing for Juveniles

Article

Lara Hoffmann

05/12/2020

20 minutes to read

In this essay, I will analyze to what extent influential figures in politics and the media had a role in the prosecution of children in the 1990s and their effects in contemporary times.