Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 35
Posts 31 - 35

In search of 'lulz,' trolls hijack civic engagement

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Washington Post
Date | 7.11.2016
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | cyberbullying, politics, social media, threat
Summary | Internet culture's sense of humor has become careless. A meme was recently circulated in Pennsyvania that said that one could vote online by just commenting the name of their candidate. Even though this was a joke, it was dangerously close to disenfranchising people of their votes. In the same way some people post anti-semitic or racist/sexist things and then claim to just do it to combat the tyranny of political correctness and not really meaning any harm. Such content however promotes extremism and is harmful - no matter the intentions.
Image Description | Man holding up Hillary Clinton toilet paper.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)

Melania Trump and the politics of airbrushing

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Washington Post
Date | 5.4.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | Instagram, politics, youth
Summary | The official portrait of the FLOTUS Melania Trump is highly retouched. Her face shows no wrinkles and looks artificial while her hair is perfectly in focus. While retouching is the norm nowadays, this particular portrait is just so obviously photoshopped that people are talking about it. It is really reminiscent of current photographing practices where one always slaps an Instagram filter on an image. This trend is being counteracted by some like Kate Winslet or Alicia Keys but the extensive retouching of images to achieve artificial perfection is accepted by large parts of the public.
Image Description | Portraits of Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, and Laua Bush.
Image Tags | female(s)

Today’s protest signs are sharper, meaner, funnier — and live on long after the rallies

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Washington Post
Date | 2.2.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | politics, social media
Summary | Protest signs are becoming increasingly wittier as popular culture and politics converge by politics increasingly becoming entertainment. The protest sign are not only wittier but also live longer thanks to their digital footprint. The funniest/best protest signs are spread online and are seen by thousands of people nowhere near the protest which is why such signs may be remembered for longer.
Image Description | Various protesters with signs.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), text

Pantsuit Nation' movement to press on after Clinton loss

Hyperlink

Newspaper | USA Today
Date | 9.11.2017
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | Facebook, politics, social media
Summary | A Facebook group called 'Pansuit Nation' is keeping Hilary Clinton supporters organized and everyone sharing their experiences of voting for a woman for the first time ever (some wearing pantsuits) with photos. The platform was so busy at times that Facebook servers could not keep up. Now that Clinton has lost the election, the group members are still discussing how they could take political action. A feminist studies scholar has however relativized the potential of the online community as the conversation on the platfor remains mostly superficial.
Image Description | Video of a Hilary Clinton speech.
Image Tags | female(s)

The graphic selfies from inside the Swiss parliament

Hyperlink

Newspaper | BBC News
Date | 24.8.2014
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | politics, pornography, sexting, WhatsApp
Summary | Switzerland saw two nude selfie scandals in and around politics this summer. A secretary working in the parlamentarian offices had been tweeting nude selfies taken on the premises. Parlamentarian and city mayor of Baden in Switzerland, Geri Müller, had been sexting with an online friend via WhatsApp, including an abundance of written messages and nude selfies. The Swiss public had been debating whether Müller's #selfiegate should have been newsworthy at all. What ultimately emerges is a double standard: the secretary lost her job within days and the mayor is still representing the Swiss people in parliament.
Image Description | Portrait of Geri Müller, Anthony Weiner, and a Thinkstock image of a hand holding a smartphone presumably taking a selfie.
Image Tags | female(s), hand(s), selfie, smartphone

Page 4 of 4
Back | Next