Slang is a nonstandard informal vocabulary peculiar to a group. In this digital age, the reproduction and evolution of slang words has become faster due to the digital platforms that they are often...Show moreSlang is a nonstandard informal vocabulary peculiar to a group. In this digital age, the reproduction and evolution of slang words has become faster due to the digital platforms that they are often used in. Research has been done on the lexical aspects of slang and slang in general (Sornig (1981); Metcalf (2002)), and on forms of digital slang (McCulloch (2019)), but none view slang as a mode of translation and applied it to to other types of text besides messages on social media. This thesis will address where digital slang terms come from, and if their origins can help explain how likely they are to be understood by someone who speaks regular English. To do so I will annotate a slang translation of Harry Potter, and research the etymological origins of the slang to try to discover - using Metcalf’s (2002) FUDGE theory - which slang terms are more likely to be understood. I expect to find that the slang terms that more closely resemble regular English words are more likely to be understood.Show less
De manier waarop journalisten zich profileren is sinds de komst van sociale media sterk veranderd. Waar zij voorheen geacht werden om afstand tot onderwerpen en verhalen te behouden, is het...Show moreDe manier waarop journalisten zich profileren is sinds de komst van sociale media sterk veranderd. Waar zij voorheen geacht werden om afstand tot onderwerpen en verhalen te behouden, is het tegenwoordig vanzelfsprekend dat journalisten zich geopinieerd uitspreken en persoonlijke informatie delen op sociale platformen als Twitter en Instagram. Dit duidt op een verandering in de traditionele journalistieke waarden. Een verklaring hiervoor is, volgens de literatuur, de normalisatie van een nieuwe medialogica binnen de journalistiek, waaruit de wens ontstaat om een personal brand op te bouwen. Dit zou journalisten namelijk talloze economische, activistische en egocentrische voordelen opleveren, die zij in een tijd van toenemende concurrentie en economische crisis hard nodig hebben. Vooral freelance journalisten zouden hierbij gebaat zijn, omdat zij aan de hand van een succesvol online brand gemakkelijker opdrachten kunnen verkrijgen. Deze scriptie onderzoekt middels kwalitatieve interviews met tien freelance journalisten en een inhoudsanalyse van hun sociale profielen op welke manier zij zich profileren, hoe zij hun keuzes in hun online activiteiten motiveren en hoe zich dit relateert tot traditionele journalistieke waarden als ‘objectiviteit’, ‘transparantie’ en ‘autonomie’. De resultaten van dit onderzoek vormen een uitgebreide typering van het online gedrag van freelance journalisten en hun opvattingen over sociale media. Hieruit kan worden geconcludeerd dat de respondenten de traditionele journalistieke waarden niet zo zeer herdefiniëren, maar dat er onder hen wel duidelijke verschuivingen te zien zijn in de prioritering van de journalistieke waarden. Dit betekent dat waarden als ‘autonomie’ en ‘transparantie’ tegenwoordig belangrijker worden geacht dan waarden als ‘objectiviteit’ of ‘onpartijdigheid’. Met een nieuw paradigma als ‘constructieve journalistiek’ wordt de verschuiving van deze waarden verklaard en gerechtvaardigd. Daarnaast wijzen de respondenten op het vervagen van de conceptuele grenzen van de journalistiek en benadrukken zij het belang van subcategorieën binnen het werkveld. Zo heeft de specifieke journalistieke functie waar een journalist zich mee identificeert belangrijke implicaties voor de hantering van journalistieke normen en waarden. Toch blijkt personal branding voor alle respondenten niet het belangrijkste doel van hun sociaalmediagebruik, waardoor de invloed op de journalistieke waarden beperkt blijft.Show less
Tegenwoordig worden ambtenaren geconfronteerd met een intrigerende paradox: enerzijds wordt van hen verwacht dat ze ambtelijke neutraliteit en neutrale bureaucratische competenties bezitten,...Show moreTegenwoordig worden ambtenaren geconfronteerd met een intrigerende paradox: enerzijds wordt van hen verwacht dat ze ambtelijke neutraliteit en neutrale bureaucratische competenties bezitten, anderzijds neemt de druk toe om politiek sensitief en responsief te zijn. Deze paradox weerspiegelt een verschuiving in de rol van ambtenaren, waarbij zij steeds meer dienen als instrument voor de bewindspersoon in diens politieke ambities. De ambtenaar in kwestie balanceert tussen traditionele bureaucratische normen verweven in het ministeriële bestel en de loyale uitvoering van de wil van verkozen politici, waarbij de ambtenaar zich in politieke aangelegenheden mengt. Dit onderzoek richt zich op de ambtenaren die zich bezighouden met overheidscommunicatie via de sociale media van bewindspersonen op Nederlandse ministeries. Er wordt onderzocht in welke mate functionele politisering van hun werkzaamheden plaatsvindt en wat dit veroorzaakt.Show less
In recent years, Automated Influence, understood as “the use of artificial intelligence to collect, integrate and analyse people’s data, and to deliver targeted interventions based on this analysis...Show moreIn recent years, Automated Influence, understood as “the use of artificial intelligence to collect, integrate and analyse people’s data, and to deliver targeted interventions based on this analysis, intended to shape their behaviour” (familiarly referred to as ‘algorithms’) has stirred up many debates among the public, as well as within academia (Benn & Lazar 2022, 127). While much of the discussion has focused primarily on issues of privacy in the light of Big Data, this thesis seeks to analyze how Automated Influence impacts the deliberative, discursive, and fundamentally social space on which society depends on, in particular for collective decision-making/politics. I argue that Automated Influence deployed on social media platforms violates people’s fundamental interest in social agency, which is defined as the ability of a person to act and reflect on her own motives all the while taking part in the fundamentally social process of forming, defending, and adapting the reasons according to which she acts. Moreover, it undermines people’s autonomy and social trust, which both serve as preconditions for their exercise social agency. After reviewing contemporary EU regulation seeking to address some of the problematic aspects related to Automated Influence, I explain why there cannot be a purely top-down approach to mitigating the harms emanating from Automated Influence, which results in my conclusion that only through educating people about its potential harms could mitigate the problem in the long run.Show less
Why do many women feel the constant need to enhance their looks? How do they navigate their way in the beauty regime around them? With the help of interviews and a review of postcolonial feminist...Show moreWhy do many women feel the constant need to enhance their looks? How do they navigate their way in the beauty regime around them? With the help of interviews and a review of postcolonial feminist theories, this Master thesis explores the influences of the patriarchal, modern/colonial, and capitalist regimes on women's body image in Lebanon. Many women in Lebanon use beauty to get ahead since other ways of advancement are limited. The legacy of civil war, economic situation, and the state regime keep gender oppression institutionalized. Beautification is a short-term panacea helping individual women to rise to the top within the existing system, yet fails to address the roots of structural gender-based oppressions.Show less
The introduction of biometric SIM card registration in January 2020 requiring proof of citizenship or legal status highlighted the critical importance of mobile telephony to the livelihoods of...Show moreThe introduction of biometric SIM card registration in January 2020 requiring proof of citizenship or legal status highlighted the critical importance of mobile telephony to the livelihoods of refugees in Dar-es-Salaam. Under the Tanzanian asylum regime, legally registered refugees are neither allowed to leave their camps nor work formally. On the other hand, urban refugees with no legal status depend on mobile connectivity for creating a livelihood informally. With formal employment opportunities limited even for Tanzanian citizens, new forms of mobility in the digital era and translocal connections become lifelines for new opportunities. This thesis explores the ways in which youth in Dar-es-Salaam, both refugees and citizens, creatively use and appropriate mobile phones and social media to navigate their livelihoods. Based on interviews, focus group discussions, and digital observations during three months of research in Dar-es-Salaam, this thesis identifies three common ways of using mobile phone and social media for income generation outside of secure employment: digitally mediated communication with financial supporters, intermediation in sales transactions, and commerce via social media. The findings suggest that the interplay of both online and offline and local and translocal networks allows urban youth to capitalize on their social ties successfully. While this inventive appropriation of mobile technology enables youth to overcome the challenges of urban life, this thesis also highlights the limitations of digital mobility in resolving structural inequalities.Show less
This thesis examines the role of social media in the Paro Nacional movement in Colombia in 2019-2020. Through a study of relevant literature, news articles, and a quantitative and qualitative...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of social media in the Paro Nacional movement in Colombia in 2019-2020. Through a study of relevant literature, news articles, and a quantitative and qualitative investigation of social media use, this analysis of social movement structures and the Paro Nacional movement leads to the identification of three functions of social media.Show less
Micro-targeting is a tool to create personalized advertisements for individuals, especially for those who use social media. Even though the current debate indicates that micro-targeting is a...Show moreMicro-targeting is a tool to create personalized advertisements for individuals, especially for those who use social media. Even though the current debate indicates that micro-targeting is a privacy-invasive exercise, social media users equally make use of this tool for their own preferences. This produces a paradox, being, the micro-targeting paradox. While individuals seek privacy, they also willingly provide their valuable information in order to make use of the services that digital platforms offer. An eminent example of this is Facebook where advertisements are densely visible to the user. Therefore, this thesis explores the micro-targeting paradox through the Facebook- Cambridge Analytica scandal. The paper finds evidence that the reason for ongoing user engagement despite and even after the scandal is due to the micro-targeting paradox.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
Increasingly, law enforcement focuses on the prevention of crime. In this approach, the role of information is important. Especially combined with the technological advancements of Internet and...Show moreIncreasingly, law enforcement focuses on the prevention of crime. In this approach, the role of information is important. Especially combined with the technological advancements of Internet and social media make that using publicly accessible information is inevitable. Whether this implies that such “open-source information” is freely accessible to law enforcement officers tasked with intelligence-led policing and creating intelligence remains to be the question. By means of a literary analysis, document analysis, interviews with practitioners and a single case study this research aimed to find out how intelligence officers can make use of this vast and valuable amount of information whilst adhering to security principles of surveillance and entrapment. This study found that there is no judicial framework built around creating intelligence as is the case with ongoing criminal investigations and surveillance is only partially possible. Article 3 of the Police Directive functions as the basis of officer’s functioning and any privacy breach that is more than necessary needs to be carefully considered under principles of proportionality and necessity. The assessment of these is thus vital, especially when applied to issues of national security – e.g. right-wing extremism – where these two principles have the opportunity of clashing. The study also found that a clear distinction between tasks of the public prosecutor and the municipality is of importance in order for intelligence officers to engage in effective intelligence-led policing. Finally, the attitude towards information as merely “nice-to-have” within intelligence-led policing needs to shift towards “need-to-have” to properly assess necessity and proportionality.Show less
This study explores the foundations of young women’s agency in processes of social change in urban Uganda. Through the lens of the concept of ‘sisterhood,’ this research examines the strategies,...Show moreThis study explores the foundations of young women’s agency in processes of social change in urban Uganda. Through the lens of the concept of ‘sisterhood,’ this research examines the strategies, struggles, and successes of young feminists challenging systemic inequality and advancing women’s rights in the country. It follows the trajectory of the women’s movement in the country and the trends of African feminist theorisation and organising across the continent. This investigation was carried out in Kampala over three months, especially in the headquarters of Akina Mama wa Afrika, a Pan-Africanist, feminist organisation. From the personal to the collective, this quest brings to the forefront the experiences and views of young Ugandan women who are involved in the feminist movement. It is argued that the idea and practice of sisterhood, understood as political solidarity amongst women, enhance their capacity to promote social transformation in Uganda. Addressing the different manifestations of this idea in context, this research analyses the role of social media and the feminist discourse facilitating this endeavour. While navigating through alternative ways of generating change, this journey explores the complexities of agency and structure in urban Africa in the 21st century, and contributes to the study of the contemporary wave of feminism in the continent.Show less
The Digital Age, or the Age of Information, has made university presses and their mission to produce top quality scholarship more important than ever before. Knowledge is at everyone’s fingertips,...Show moreThe Digital Age, or the Age of Information, has made university presses and their mission to produce top quality scholarship more important than ever before. Knowledge is at everyone’s fingertips, it is as easy as pressing a few buttons on your computer, but this ease is not unilaterally aligned with reliability. This is why university content is becoming increasingly more vital. However, limited budgets, changing markets, and a reluctance to embrace digital technologies have resulted in many university presses struggling to stay in operation. The monograph in particular is struggling to turn profits and is beginning to be viewed by portions of the academic community as outdated and a monetary burden for universities. This thesis looks at how university press monographs can survive in this changing climate, in particular by employing digital marketing strategies. It examines three major developing areas of digital marketing (big data, social media use by the press and social media use by the author). It draws on UP case studies to illustrate digital marketing engagement.Show less
This thesis investigates the topic of nationalism in Weibo posts that discuss the detention of Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Huawei. After the arrest, Weibo users quickly connected...Show moreThis thesis investigates the topic of nationalism in Weibo posts that discuss the detention of Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Huawei. After the arrest, Weibo users quickly connected this case with broader nationalist topics, resulting in different types of nationalist reactions. This study describes how these reactions reflect, create or shape a nationalist discourse. This was done in three parts: first of all, I examined how the countries of Canada, the US and China are described. The analysis reveals that the comments describe the US as the active culprit and Canada as a more passive, docile country. Secondly, the question was formulated as to how Meng was described, as a person, as CFO of Huawei, and as a Chinese, in order to gain more insight into how these different layers of her identity coincide or contrast. This part concludes that most commenters express their support for Meng, but that her wealth and unclarity regarding her citizenship can result in a decrease of support. Finally, I investigated the ways in which nationalism can be converted into action. It became clear how consumption and nationalism can be linked: many Weibo users suggested to initiate a boycott, mainly against Apple. Simultaneously, others also reflected on the efficacy of such measures.Show less
The advent of new technologies is continually changing the dynamics of political communication, making social media (especially Twitter) a direct linkage between politicians and the public,...Show moreThe advent of new technologies is continually changing the dynamics of political communication, making social media (especially Twitter) a direct linkage between politicians and the public, different from, for instance, TV interviews. Thus, it is generally believed that parties can take advantage of these new channels to spread their messages, and populist Eurosceptic parties are particularly expected to utilize them as a way to expand their support and visibility within the political field. Given this, further considerations could be raised on how these parties use social media. While some may argue that social media acts only as a complementary platform to maximize the reach of proposals, many scholars have pointed out that these parties use social media to make their discourse even more colloquial, mobilizing and radical. The research question to be addressed is: what is the discursive strategy of populist Eurosceptic parties on Twitter compared to the one on TV interviews?Show less
Nieuwsmedia maken vandaag de dag gretig gebruik van sociale media om hun nieuwsartikelen te delen en te promoten. In deze studie worden het profiel, de taken en de routines van diegene die deze...Show moreNieuwsmedia maken vandaag de dag gretig gebruik van sociale media om hun nieuwsartikelen te delen en te promoten. In deze studie worden het profiel, de taken en de routines van diegene die deze berichten plaatst bestudeerd, de zogenaamde social media news editor. Dit is uiterst relevant omdat deze editors gezien kunnen worden als de laatste gatekeepers in het nieuwsproces. De resultaten zijn gebaseerd op tien diepte-interviews met social media news editors van Nederlandse nieuwsmedia. Hieruit bleek dat de gemiddelde leeftijd van de social media news editors 32 is en ze allemaal hoogopgeleid zijn (waarvan de meeste met een journalistieke achtergrond). De voornaamste taak is het zo goed mogelijk verspreiden van nieuwsberichten via sociale media. De selectie van nieuwsberichten voor sociale media bestaat uit een ‘goede mix’ tussen ‘leuke’ berichten waarvan ze weten dat die goed gelezen gaan worden, en berichten die journalistiek gezien van belang zijn. Een goede prikkelende kop en boventekst (op Facebook) zijn van essentieel belang om de inhoud van het stuk zo duidelijk en wervend mogelijk neer te zetten. Dit met het doel het merk zichtbaar te maken en mogelijk nieuwe lezers te werven.Show less
In recent years, the terms ‘fake news’ and ‘post-truth’ have entered into common parlance. The prevalence of social media has done much to aid the spread of conspiracy theories and false or hateful...Show moreIn recent years, the terms ‘fake news’ and ‘post-truth’ have entered into common parlance. The prevalence of social media has done much to aid the spread of conspiracy theories and false or hateful information online. Historian Sophia Rosenfeld has argued that social media platforms have created a ‘wild west climate’ in which fact and fiction are muddled and popularity rather than reliability dictates the type of information that is presented to users. The primary focus of this thesis is on the role archivists can play in preserving problematic and false information that has been created and spread on social media. This paper will focus on one particular case study of false and controversial information shared on social media: the so-called ‘Irish slaves myth’ or ‘Irish slaves meme’. One of the central questions of this paper is whether this content merits a place in an archive based on its importance as a historical record. Proceeding from this question, the paper will then consider the issues that an archival institution must address if it were to create such an archive.There are many special issues that an archival institution would have to consider when creating this archive, such as appraisal (determining the archival value of the material), preservation, arrangement, description, and ethics. This paper will study these issues as they apply to the creation of a hypothetical archive of the Irish slaves meme and it will attempt to offer some solutions.Show less
The notion of the spectacle, developed in the era of traditional media, represented a sharp and accurate prediction of the society to come. Guy Debord envisioned the alienation and separation of...Show moreThe notion of the spectacle, developed in the era of traditional media, represented a sharp and accurate prediction of the society to come. Guy Debord envisioned the alienation and separation of individuals from each other and from themselves by means of images, as well as the commodification of life. At the time Debord developed his critique of the spectacle, television was increasingly expanding its monopole and flattening the general discourse to one reality. This same reality was soon to be fragmented, together with individuality, by the arrival of the internet and social media. The Italian TV program BLOB, broadcasted on Italian public television since 1989, and its presence on social media, could help us to understand more about these dynamics.Show less
