Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Together with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, something else started spreading just as fast as the novel coronavirus: misinformation and disinformation. An infodemic was born, and groups...Show moreTogether with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, something else started spreading just as fast as the novel coronavirus: misinformation and disinformation. An infodemic was born, and groups and pages focused on Covid-19 related conspiracy theories started popping up all over the internet. In this digital ethnography, I examine the online community of Dutch-speaking truth seekers, who claim that the corona restrictions are a first step towards a dystopian, global, totalitarian regime. The resulting thesis consists of an ethnographic video essay and a written text. Through the combination of a reflexive voiceover, screen recordings, interview fragments, found footage and screenshots, the film explores both the thoughts and experiences of my research participants being part of this community, as well as those of me doing this research. Focusing on the themes of truth, community and freedom, the written part examines the individual and social dynamics behind the rapid growth of this community. My findings are in line with earlier research on conspiracy belief and suggest that the appeal of the Dutch-speaking truth seeker community is threefold. It answers a desire to reduce the complexity of a chaotic reality, it provides social support in a world where many experience a lack of a sense of community, and it gives a sense of control in uncertain times.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
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
WeChat is one of the most used social media in China. While few Dutch people use it, the app remains popular among the many Chinese students in the Netherlands. This popularity abroad evokes the...Show moreWeChat is one of the most used social media in China. While few Dutch people use it, the app remains popular among the many Chinese students in the Netherlands. This popularity abroad evokes the question what this platform has to offer for people living in a different country and how it relates to a sense of ‘home’. Within social media research, a call is made to study social media using a non-media centric approach, focusing on the context in which it is used. Within this research, I study WeChat as used by three international Chinese students, and how they use WeChat to create a sense of home. Through digital observation and film, I examined how participants use WeChat, how they create a feeling of home while studying in the Netherlands, and the connection between these two. Overall, this study found that for a sense of home, relations, materiality, and a sense of security are important, for participants to both adjust to the Netherlands and recreate a sense of the ‘former home’. Their use of WeChat provides a tool to realise these different aspects.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
