Public Sphere

Digital Vigilantism

File

Digital vigilantism relates to a public that unites on virtual networks and puts in a joined effort, or crowdsources, in order to find justice.

Aziz Ansari: Modern Public Intellectual?

Paper

Chi-chieh Huang

26/03/2021

31 minutes to read

This article seeks to examine the public persona of Aziz Ansari through the model of the public intellectual.

Should AI be considered the (co-)author of AI art?

Column

Simone Sprangers

04/03/2021

3 minutes to read

AI is used quite often in art production. But this technology can lead to philosophical problems. Is the artist still the author of his work, or does he has to share this authorship with AI? The ontology of art can shed light on this issue.

Chrissy Teigen's tragedy - too private or not public enough?

Paper

Kirsten Verbeek

05/02/2021

10 minutes to read

Chrissy Teigen shared news of her stillbirth via Instagram. The comments weren’t as loving as you might expect. This article aims to answer the question: 'why do people react so negatively towards something accused of being (too) private?'

Reddit's GameStop rush (doesn't) change(s) the stock market

Column

Nataliia Vdovychenko

02/02/2021

7 minutes to read

GameStop has shaken the stock market with the help of Reddit users, or at least that is wat the news suggests. What is certain is that for the first time in history, the news about stocks is talking about the 'online community' rather than the wolves of Wall Street. How did this shift happen, and what are the long-term consequences?

a meme showing a character next to a graph labelled "stonk"

The Conflicted Interests of r/WallStreetBets: Political movement or “degenerates gambling?”

Article

Lucie Chateau

02/02/2021

14 minutes to read

What are "memestocks" and why have they disrupted the market? A look inside the subreddit whose short-stocking strategy has shaken up the world of finance and how its memes function to bind the community together.

Famke Louise as a guest on De Wereld Draait Door in 2018

You can’t sit with us: Hannah Arendt’s table and why Famke Louise wasn’t allowed to join

Paper

Rebecca de Jongh

29/01/2021

10 minutes to read

When Famke Louise joined the public sphere with #ikdoenietmeermee, not everyone welcomed her into the debate. According to Hannah Arendt, everyone should be able to "join the table". What is Arendt’s table and who is welcome to sit at it?

Conspiracy theories, Capitol riot, fiction,

The Capitol Riots: Democracy, Post-truth and Fiction

Column

Odile Heynders

04/05/2021

7 minutes to read

In light of the Capitol riots, Odile Heynders claims that we have to reflect on fiction and its development in time, in order to understand how the concept is used and functions in today’s society.