New forms of knowledge online

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.

‘5G users be like’: (In)visibility as evidence in 5G conspiracy memes

Article

Mijke Akkermans

09/08/2020

16 minutes to read

For several years, conspiracy theorists have promoted the idea that 5G waves are harmful for one's health, now even relating this to the coronavirus. This paper explores how memes are used to define (in)visibility as evidence within this theory.

How Netflix suggests what to watch

Paper

Anne Marte Gardenier

15/01/2020

9 minutes to read

This article gives an overview of the way in which Netflix makes use of computational research techniques in their recommendation system and in the production of highly personalized content.

The power of online reviews in decision-making

Article

Nadine Visser

15/01/2020

11 minutes to read

Online reviews are widely used for decision-making in daily life. Reviews of entertainment objects (e.g. films, books) are used as evidence of their quality. In this paper, we discuss the construction of "experts" on cultural knowledge online.

Deep fakes - an emerging risk to societies

Paper

Tunde Farago

15/11/2019

22 minutes to read

Deep fakes are a rapidly evolving technology that can easily fool not just our human senses, but also the software created to counter them. This paper explores their potential social, cultural and political implications.

(Grumpy) Cat 4 President: LOLcats in the US Presidential Elections

Paper

Chiara Palsgraaf

02/04/2019

14 minutes to read

A meme can shape, spread and reflect on public discourse. This paper shows how the popular LOLcat played an integral part in the 2016 US presidential elections.

The Biases we feed to Tinder algorithms

Article

Magdalena Rolle

16/01/2019

13 minutes to read

This article reflects on how the biases of Tinder algorithms hold up a mirror to our society by analyzing the human impact on their technological workings.

Is Google politically biased?

Article

Tunde Farago

21/12/2018

9 minutes to read

In this article, the issue of political bias is analyzed in relation to the algorithms behind the Google search engine.

When mHealth apps become unhealthy

Article

Kelsey van Tellingen

21/12/2018

10 minutes to read

Mhealth apps have become more popular in the last couple of years. Are we losing the connection with our body by using our mobile devices to tell us whether we are living a healthy lifestyle? We need more information about the use of health apps.