Right-wing extremism in much of the Western world looks far different than it did even a decade ago. Extremists are getting younger, and radicalization is an increasingly online process. According...Show moreRight-wing extremism in much of the Western world looks far different than it did even a decade ago. Extremists are getting younger, and radicalization is an increasingly online process. According to most contemporary theories of radicalization, personal and political grievances are critical foundations for this process. Despite this, research into the forms these grievances take, especially in this new cohort of younger, more online extremists is rare. This study seeks to address this research gap by asking the question: What kinds of personal and political grievances are most likely to push young people to get involved with right-wing extremist groups online? It answers by performing a process of content analysis on messages sent between users of six large right-wing extremist group chats on the popular instant messaging platform Discord between early 2017 and early 2020 with the goal of identifying individual grievances and larger common themes in this cohort of extremists. Out of an initial dataset of 308,207 messages, over three hundred discrete examples were identified and further classified into 35 different thematic subcategories. Two clusters of especially prevalent interrelated grievances were also identified which tended to appear together, signaling the possibility that more similar clusters exist and reaffirming existing theories about the role of grievances in right-wing extremist radicalization pathways.Show less
To examine the relationship between alexithymia and digital problem behaviour, a systematic review was conducted. Problematic internet use, problematic use of social media and problematic gaming...Show moreTo examine the relationship between alexithymia and digital problem behaviour, a systematic review was conducted. Problematic internet use, problematic use of social media and problematic gaming behaviour are included as types of digital problem behaviour. The main research question is: How is alexithymia related to problematic use of internet, social media and videogames? To examine the relationship, a systematic research was conducted. After having executed the research 266 articles were selected. However, after excluding all of the identical articles only 167 were left. Out of the 167 studied, 23 studies were included. Studies were excluded if they were not labelled as empirical, written in another language than English or Dutch; and lastly, if they had a clinical sample besides alexithymia. The selected studies were double coded on the methodological features: chosen study design, sample size, and used research instruments. Combining all 23 studies a total of 41.274 participants was established. The median of all these studies was 429 participants. From the 23 studies, 14 were about problematic internet use, 3 about problematic use of social media and 6 about problematic gaming behaviour. 20 of the 23 studies found a positive significant relationship between alexithymia and problematic internet use, problematic use of social media and problematic gaming behaviour. However, the reliability of the results is questionable. Due to the fact that the cross-sectional design and sample size of all studies do not allow to draw strong conclusions. Furthermore, the use of only self-report does not contribute to the quality of the studies. Follow-up research of better quality will be necessary to draw valid conclusions about the relationship between alexithymia and digital problem behaviour.Show less
This thesis has investigated what the effect of the digital revolution on Cuba was on Cuban journalism. It has been proved that there is more space for different political voices, but that this...Show moreThis thesis has investigated what the effect of the digital revolution on Cuba was on Cuban journalism. It has been proved that there is more space for different political voices, but that this space is relatively small.Show less
This thesis explores the position the artwork Autonomy Cube (2014) by Trevor Paglen and Jacob Appelbaum takes in what Gilles Deleuze has termed the “Society of Control”. Deleuze specifically...Show moreThis thesis explores the position the artwork Autonomy Cube (2014) by Trevor Paglen and Jacob Appelbaum takes in what Gilles Deleuze has termed the “Society of Control”. Deleuze specifically discusses this society by outlining a development from a disciplined society, constituted by enclosed spaces, to a control society characterized by a more fragmented sense of space. Departing from this spatial theorization of the society of control by Deleuze, this thesis takes the spatial tension between the bordered territory of the nation-state and the borderless realm of the internet as a starting point for thinking about the (public) space that this society provides. Autonomy Cube’s position within this space is analysed by looking at how the artwork, through the online Tor network it gives access to, engages with the complex spatiality that forms the core of the society of control. From there on it is argued that this artwork does not limit itself to a (critical) representation of the control society, but that it positions itself at the center of its logic in order to rebuild and modulate it from within. As such, this thesis aims to shed light on the extent to which art can be consequential for real life in times of the increasing digitalization of society and, more specifically, of the modes of surveillance and control that structure it.Show less
The thesis explores how religious authority is translated online by Indian preacher Zakir Naik. It explores the concept of religious authority, the study of religion online and diverse internet...Show moreThe thesis explores how religious authority is translated online by Indian preacher Zakir Naik. It explores the concept of religious authority, the study of religion online and diverse internet media of Zakir Naik.Show less
China is under one-party authoritarian regime which requires the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to maintain legitimacy and social stability. In order to achieve that, the CCP and Chinese government...Show moreChina is under one-party authoritarian regime which requires the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to maintain legitimacy and social stability. In order to achieve that, the CCP and Chinese government has been controlling public opinions towards the government and the regime. Since the intervention and popularization of internet into China, internet has broadened Chinese netizens’ outlook and deepen the understandings of the world. Weibo, the Chinese microblog, among online communities, is one of the most popularized internet virtual platforms in China. As an epitome of Chinese society in network age, the development and functions of microblog has no doubt changed not only daily life of Chinese citizens but also substantially changed the way of public participation mode and supervision mode of public affairs. The impact of microblog on possible social transformation and democratization in China has been a hot topic discussed by scholars but the verdict is yet to be reached. In addition, Chinese government realizing the importance and impact of online public opinion also joined the tide of microblog development and is adapting to the digital era to guide public opinion and do propaganda on microblog. Whereas, comparing to microblog’s impact utilizing by netizens, the impact and efficiency of government strategy on microblog is seldom discussed heretofore.Show less
De journalistiek geniet het laatste decennium minder vertrouwen van de burgers. Om dit te herstellen proberen media meer verantwoording af te leggen over hun geleverde werk. Door middel van media...Show moreDe journalistiek geniet het laatste decennium minder vertrouwen van de burgers. Om dit te herstellen proberen media meer verantwoording af te leggen over hun geleverde werk. Door middel van media accountability systems, waarvan de mediaombudsman een goed voorbeeld is. De ombudsman functioneert als schakel tussen de lezers en de krant. Het instrument ‘ombudsman’ is in het leven geroepen toen internet nog niet bestond. In dit onderzoek is bekeken in hoeverre de ombudsman zich aanpast aan de mogelijk- en moeilijkheden die het internet biedt. Aan de hand van de ombudsmannen van De Volkskrant, NRC Handelsblad en De Standaard is geanalyseerd in hoeverre de ombudslieden op de hoogte zijn van de mogelijk- en moeilijkheden, en ze hier zelf iets mee doen en hoeveel waarde ze aan online kwesties toedichten. Er blijken verschillen te zijn tussen de ombudsmannen. Niet in de onderwerpen die ze aankaarten, maar vooral in de hoeveelheid aandacht die ze besteden aan online. In de columns komt het bij de ene ombudsman zelden aan bod, terwijl de andere zeer regelmatig over online kwesties schrijft. Ook blijkt dat de mogelijkheden die het internet biedt niet door alle ombudslieden evenredig wordt ingezet. Het zoeken van interactie met lezers is makkelijker geworden, maar wordt niet altijd benut, evenals de ruimte die het internet biedt om meer te publiceren. Samenvattend: ombudslieden zijn niet volledig aangepast op de mogelijkheden van het online mediaklimaat. De transparantie, wat een belangrijk doel is van het accountability instrument ‘ombudsman’, kan juist in het huidige mediaklimaat de waarde van een ombudsman vergroten.Show less
The Internet, and in particular the World Wide Web, has become the primary source of information for a substantial number of people in the world. In many libraries, computers have taken over the...Show moreThe Internet, and in particular the World Wide Web, has become the primary source of information for a substantial number of people in the world. In many libraries, computers have taken over the main task of access to information and have pushed books to the periphery. But ever since its beginnings in 1990, the Web has changed and so have the ways we use it. An analysis of the Web's (cyber)space through graph theory can help identify how these changes have come about, and in what direction they are expected to push the Web in the future. The modern search engine, the Web 2.0 revolution, cloud computing and the shift to mobile devices have shifted the nodal structure and nodal features of the Web, which is expressed in a shift from exploration to information-retrieval, and from informational to largely social uses. Increasingly, the dynamic nature of websites has decoupled the content from the form, resulting in a lack of accountability of authors towards their web pages, which are claimed to be the result of “objective” algorithms. This supposed objectivity obscures the process of centralisation on the Web, in which the hubs are getting stronger and absorb traffic. As a result, there is a loss of associative data between non-hub web pages. The growing schism between form and content also makes it harder to spatially reify the information on the Web, since content is not necessarily fixed in its location and presentation. This spatiality matters, because it greatly benefits associative understanding and memorisation of information. The realness of the virtual space of the Web is analysed and is found to be real in the sense that it has real consequences. Moreover, the application of the spatial metaphor to the inherently non-spatial digital data is shown to be vital to effective use of the Web. Several strategies and tactics are proposed to stop this reduction of space and associativity in the Web.Show less
