Celebrities

Vlogging during the coronavirus crisis

Column

Mingyi Hou

07/04/2020

7 minutes to read

Chinese student Yi Dahua’s vlogging from Turn, Italy has made him a micro-celebrity during the coronavirus crisis. His case illustrates a "boundary-blurred" public sphere with widely varied public communication on the pandemic.

Ellen DeGeneres: talk show host or CIA agent?

Paper

Iris Dumoulin

16/03/2020

11 minutes to read

In 2018, people believed that Eric Trump suggested that Ellen DeGeneres is part of a hidden government within the US. This essay analyzes how this conspiracy theory has come into existence, who plays a role in it, and what this means online.

gravedigging, digital shaming, digital gravedigging, social media celebrities

Online gravedigging, identity and privacy

Column

Mingyi Hou

18/02/2020

11 minutes to read

This article analyzes gravedigging as a digital practice, and illustrates its roles in online shaming and celebrity image management activities.

Leonardo DiCaprio and online activism

Article

Iris Dumoulin

26/02/2020

13 minutes to read

Leonardo DiCaprio has been stealing hearts since the '90s. But next to his acting, he has also been an environmental activist. To this day, his online posts encourage others to change the world. Can such a famous actor honestly be an activist?

K-Pop as a linguistic phenomenon

Article

Luna-Anastasia Riedel

09/03/2020

13 minutes to read

The interest in Korean pop music has been rising over the last couple of years making the Korean Wave grow. As part of its fan following, K-Pop has developed into a unique linguistic phenomenon, whereby fans are familiarized with Korean.

China's National Day Blockbuster: My People, My Country

Column

Mingyi Hou

22/10/2019

14 minutes to read

'My people, my country' - a Chinese movie promoting a patriotic zeal and dominant political agenda - becomes a worldwide hype not only in China, but also in the Chinese diaspora.Why is that?

How ContraPoints commands the YouTube Stage

Article

Inge van de Ven

28/10/2019

11 minutes to read

Inge van de Ven examines YouTube vlogger ContraPoints as a public intellectual in the context of strategies of self-representation in the attention economy.

Ted Bundy as seen by Elizabeth Kloepfer

Paper

Amber van Esseveld

12/12/2019

11 minutes to read

This paper discusses a recent Netflix dramatization of the lifes of Ted Bundy and his girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer. How do you present a character that is Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile?