Lo scorso 8 dicembre 2022, la corte suprema del Québec ha autorizzato una causa a un’azienda di videogiochi, un’azione basata sulle richieste di un gruppo di genitori e della loro avvocata, Alessandra Esposito Chartrand. L’accusa è piuttosto semplice e chiara: alcune dinamiche di gioco sono state volutamente progettate in modo da risultare “addictive”. In italiano,… Leggi tutto: NAOTB – New Addictions on the Block

The spectator’s consciousness, imprisoned in a flattened universe, bound by the screen of the spectacle behind which his life has been deported, knows only the fictional speakers who unilaterally surround him with their commodities and the politics of their commodities. The spectacle, in its entirety, is his “mirror image.”  – Guy Debord, The Society of… Leggi tutto: The vivid yet hollow experience of the metaverse

“The Metaverse and How We’ll Built it Together” è il titolo del video Youtube dello scorso 28 ottobre con cui Mark Zuckerberg – CEO dell’azienda Meta – annunciava la sua visione per il futuro di Internet. Ben 87 minuti in cui una delle personalità chiave delle trasformazioni digitali dell’ultimo ventennio si mette in primo piano,… Leggi tutto: <strong>Chi ha paura del Metaverso?</strong>

The Trials And Tribulations Of Developing An Aesthetic (Artist Statement) I am a young, Canadian, contemporary artist focusing on portrait photography. I work with the people around me to create images that explore femininity and womanhood. This piece in particular focuses on the shocking influence online culture has on my self-image. Depicted in The Trials… Leggi tutto: The trials and tribulations of developing an aesthetic

Abstract Our current epoch can be characterized as the Digital Age. The internet emerged over three decades ago, and technological advances have seeped into every aspect of our lives, breaking digital dualism and merging the physical and virtual worlds. This has impacted our social lives and how we interact with one another. Loneliness is a… Leggi tutto: Are We Losing Touch? Looking at Loneliness and Isolation in the Digital Age.

In today’s information age, we are constantly bombarded with media, on an unprecedented scale. Despite innovations to the machinery which supplies us with this onslaught of information – first television, then computers, now smartphones – the skills we use to process this information remain largely the same; reading and listening. Yet even with these capabilities being apparently fundamental to functioning in our current social, political, digital and work environments, one of these skills appears to be falling behind. Reading comprehension is faltering, and with this could come serious consequences. 

There is this misconception that we live in two realities, a physical and a virtual one.  The ‘offline’ and ‘online’ are often diametrically opposed as if the world is made up of two dimensions – a ‘real’ world and a ‘virtual’ online one. I think it’s safe to say that this “digital dualism” theory no longer applies to the current world we live in (Jurgenson 2011). Especially for those of us who have grown up with the internet and have had our “real life” relationships become almost as significant in virtual realms or developed full-blown friendships and relationships solely online. Since the Covid-19 pandemic it’s become clear that, more than ever, the digital world and the tangible physical environment we live in are interwoven. In fact, the digital world is made up of very physical and tangible infrastructures. We just seem to forget it or not really question where all of the internet and this data everyone seems to be interested in fit in our physical reality. Algorithms are a particularly tricky dimension of the digital world. You can’t see them or touch them, they appear invisible and intangible. 

All these issues have existed for years and women have been fighting against them for decades. However, with the new digital world that we have stepped into, what impact did that world give on women and their issues? The digital world started a new market everyone can benefit from. It created more job opportunities for women and gave them the opportunity to open their own businesses. According to studies, 55% of internet businesses are founded by women, creating an opportunity for women to be independent and to not be exposed to the employment gender bias. Furthermore, it empowers women by giving them financial control where they can earn money to secure themselves. It has also helped them seek and access more opportunities, with features like video conferencing, where they are able to work from home, and aid with childcare.  Furthermore, social platforms have given women to talk and discuss their health issues and seek health advice. There are many platforms that help women to spread sex education and validate other women’s experience regarding their sexual life. Other websites help women share stories of their experience with sexual and help them find support groups where they can be in a safe space to talk freely about their traumas. TikTok has contributed to such causes, where people formed a series of videos where they exposed rapists and predators. Furthermore, another TikTok trend that helped women were the videos made against abortion laws. They helped women express their opinions about the laws and spread awareness of the topic.

If there’s something that capitalism is good at, that is tricking us into adhering to the grindset mentality. From the “that girl” aesthetic, to books written by the rich and privileged, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that your happiness lies in status and consumerism.  While those are more obvious examples of how we are manipulated into working harder for the upper class, I was recently presented with an example that crossed my mind before.

Smart Cities are a trend. But it is time to look past the packaging of sustainable promises. Sidewalk Toronto is the perfect example why you don’t want your city to be smart. 

When the war between Ukraine and Russia began in February of this year, as nervous spectators, the world was shaken and distraught. Improper jokes about war, specifically pertaining to “World War III”, were often seen on social media. So, when newspapers, websites, and tabloids were covered in the disastrous pictures of war-stricken Ukraine, of bombed houses and ruined landmarks, many people were in disbelief.  The online world was petrified for the innocent civilians. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter were an efficient way to quickly find information on the war, especially from infographic accounts that posted brief, digestible, and important bits of news. Regular people, at least those who did not live near the affected countries, knew that there was not much that they could do besides reposting on their stories and, if they could afford to, donating to charity. However, just like any other world event that seemingly dominates the news, Ukraine turned out to merely be another passing topic on our screens. 

The most shocking but also absurdly usual thing is the media. How fake, polarizing, super pressuring, and most of the time useless it is, but it wasn’t always like that.  Let’s look at its history

The trial verdict is officially known, and social media are drowning in everyone’s opinions like never before. This case has been a great distraction from recent worldwide events and has been a notorious center of attention in the Western media. It seems like everyone, whether they were supporting Heard, Depp, or were passive, had a need to add their extra bit of a comment to the discussion. And this, in fact, was what social media allowed us to do.

Italy has been a democratic republic for around 75 years. The 21st article of its constitution, along with multiple sections of the penal code, guarantees freedom of expression. Nevertheless, this nation still struggles daily to ensure that everyone, including the media, can exercise their fundamental right to express their opinions freely without fear of intimidation… Leggi tutto: <strong>Over-Polarization as the Potential Creator of a Censorial Culture – A short analysis on freedom of expression in Italy</strong>

digital souls, our online persona in artform.

explaining how website cookies work but also what they are.

Social network e politica, mai due mondi sono stati così uniti e, allo stesso tempo, incapaci di copotenziarsi tra loro come questi. Esiste una soluzione social al dilagare di una politica sterile? Forse sì, ma è sicuramente una via poco battuta e molto impervia.

comedian Bo Burnham’s latest work, Inside, mades us re-talk and re-think the internet, the pandemic, society, social media and much more. but we have some thoughts on Bo and his themes as well

Recap del 2021 analizzando il ban di Trump da Twitter, e la corrente situazione degli account del regime talebano in Afghanistan

“Trends have always been born thanks to designers, creatives and movements that defined the ground rules of what was perceived as “trendy”. Yet in recent times this is no longer the case. TikTok has disrupted this hierarchy, making trends famous with hashtags and users. If the words “Dark Academia” don’t ring a bell, you should read this and understand how 15-second mini videos are about to change your life.”

Social media have become part of our daily life, they allow us to keep in touch with friends and family, develop new interests, and hear about what’s going on in the rest of the world in no time. But are we using them consciously? My 10-year long experience as a fellow social media addict has… Leggi tutto: Digital Citizenship 101: Digital Oligarchy, Network Effect, and the Filter Bubble

How China challenges US in a new race to AI supremacy On 15th March 2016, in Seoul, Deep Mind’s Artificial Intelligence Alpha Go was winning the fifth and last match of the boardgame Go against the 18 times World Champion Lee Sedol. Slightly more than one year later, in May 2017, the same AI defeated… Leggi tutto: Fine Art v. Alpha Go: China is the new Russia, Artificial Intelligence is the new Moon

Cosa succederà se l’uomo non sarà più capace di adattarsi alle conseguenze di ciò che lui stesso ha creato? Un mondo post apocalittico o una realtà già scritta?

la concezione di erotico e pornografico nella nostra rappresentazione sociale e mediatica, messa in relazione al pubblico, al creatore e al medium utilizzati hanno risultati differenti sui nostri rapporti e percezioni di essi

we could also use the first sentence “Collective creation is a short text that reflects the terms Human, Posthumanism, and what Virtual Space actually has to do with it.

il “trauma porn” e i social media influenzano la nostra visione della violenza e delle persone che ne sono vittime. in nome dell’informazione, senso di colpa e idea di star facendo qualcosa in merito la nostra prima tentazione è di premere il pulsante ‘condividi’, ma pensiamoci su un attimo.

a short introduction to algorithms, cookies and their influence on un and the formation of our opinions

il pezzo tratta di come il mondo dei social e dell’internet ci catturi a tal punto da non riuscire a provare (to feel) più nessuna emozione quando non siamo connessi. Racchiude il senso di impotenza dato dalla solitudine ma anche la voglia di ribellarsi con tutta la “pazzia” del caso.

Essere dinamici ci dà una delle occasioni più uniche nella vita: cambiare noi stessi e cambiare quello che ci circonda. Non chiamateci sognatori, ma autori della nostra esistenza. C’è un famoso film di Bernardo Bertolucci decisamente da guardare nella fascia d’età adolescenziale e nostalgica che, prima o poi, arriva per tutti. È quel periodo della… Leggi tutto: La ricetta del cambiamento

You are witnessing an unprecedented revolution. A silent revolution made of shiny screens and incredible alternative worlds. The Digital, the Web, the Internet: no matter how you call it, still a very special place; search and you will immediately find, ask and you will immediately get. Seems simple right? Well, we believe the contrary. We… Leggi tutto: Digital Ecology 2021: our words and goals for the digital revolution

l’articolo tratta il delicato tema dell’identità, prendendo in considerazione soprattutto il nostro io digitale, e di quanto sia importante e fragile questo tassello nel mondo in cui viviamo.

How digital rights and awareness can fight dynamics of control In October 2017 a Palestinian construction worker posted into his Facebook account a picture of himself at work, near a bulldozer. In the caption he wrote “Good Morning!”. Facebook algorithm made a translation error from Arabic into Hebrew, and it translated “Hurt them”. The man… Leggi tutto: Hashtag Palestine: A disturbing case of digital state surveillance

Come Instagram è diventatouna piattaforma per News negli ultimi anni, come i „bad news“ ci influenzano e cosa possono fare i giornalisti.