L i n d a D u i t s
rogue media scholar
Eindejaarscolumn: 2011 lange neus naar babyboomers
Decennialang claimden babyboomers het alleenrecht op jongerenprotest. Omdat hun generatie zo betrokken en geëngageerd was op jonge leeftijd, werd dit de standaard voor alle leeftijdscohorten die erna kwamen. Zo moest na de Maagdenhuisbezetting in 1969 – de culminatie van babyboomprotest in Nederland – iedere generatie studenten eveneens het bestuurlijk centrum van de UvA bezetten. Hoezeer de nieuwe jeugd pogingen deed ook rebels en politiek te zijn, geen enkele groep kon ooit tippen aan de babyboomers. Zelfgenoegzaam en arrogant lieten zij geen gelegenheid onbenut om duidelijk te maken hoe teleurgesteld ze waren in de betrokkenheid van generatie X, Y en al die andere labels. Dit jaar veranderde dat. 2011 was het jaar dat het babyboomers-monopolie op jeugdig protest werd doorbroken. More >
Horse-crazy girls
The horse-crazy girl (‘paardenmeisje’ in Dutch) is a very recognisable identity amongst young girls in Western societies, yet this specific subculture hardly receives attention from researchers. Grnvld, a magazine about the countryside, did a feature article on these girls. They interviewed me extensively and discuss the sociological backgrounds of this youth culture that appears to resist the trends of time. Full colour PDF of the article here.
Lessen uit de Engelse rellen: The Guardian als kritische onderzoeker
De Engelse rellen deden deze zomer niet alleen het Verenigd Koninkrijk, maar ook de rest van de wereld opschrikken. Wat moesten we hiervan denken? In vergelijking met het jeugdig protest in Noord-Afrika leken de rellen in Engeland zinloos, opportuun en vooral apolitiek. De Britse premier wilde het zelfs niet eens als een protest zien. In een unieke samenwerking onder de titel Reading The Riots heeft The Guardian samen met de gerenommeerde London School of Economics (LSE) onderzoek gedaan naar de oorzaken en gevolgen van de rellen. More >
Guest column on violent video games for Kennislink
I was asked by Kennislink to write a guest column on games. Kennislink is a popular science website that aims to explain academic information in a clear and understandable way to a general audience. My column focused on research on violent games. Using a recent study on the effects of violent literature on audience agression, I explained how game research is clouded by a discourse of concern about young viewers. Furthermore, the methods used in studies on violent video games bare little resemblance to reality.
New publication: Coming to terms with sexualization
Not since the feminist pornography debates of the 1980s has there been such an outburst of discussion, research and publications about sexualized images of women and girls. The debate is now carried out by governments and other social actors, but to hail current attacks on sexualization as a belated victory for feminism is naive and problematic. Together with Liesbet van Zoonen, I wrote an article in which we contend that current sexualization policies involve academic analyses and political solutions which are cast in the discourse of liberal feminism and neoliberalism. More >
Talking iPod on the radio
Yesterday it was 10 years ago that Apple launched the iPod and changed the way we use personal stereos. I wrote a post for the daily blog on my company’s website, commemorating this moment and explaining the iPod’s popularity with academic research. This was picked up by Radio 6, an online radio station part of the public broadcasting system. On the air, I was asked about the iPad’s success, the differences with previous personal stereos and the future of the device. I discussed how the iPod is unique in its design, how the white earplugs became a status symbol and how the assocation with the Apple brand provides the user a kind of coolness. Mostly, however, it is the iPod’s functionality that changed everything. The memory size allowed users to upload their entire music collection, which means the user no longer needed to decide in advance what he wanted to hear later that day but playlists could be adjusted to mood and location. Furthermore, browsing through someone’s iPod became comparable to staring at someone’s CD collection: it showed taste, and taste is all about distinguishing yourself from others. Listen to the clip.
Radio 6, Mijke’s Middag, October 24, 16.15.
Bimbo culture for the young
Although the societal debate about sexualization has somewhat quieted down, the notion of ‘bimbo culture’ still causes concern and critique. Theater producers Boogaerdt en Van der Schoot created an installation that can be seen as the nightmare of a sexualized visual culture gone mad. In a special setting, the audience is exposed to 105 minute horror peep show that five actrices perform live behind their backs. The show was on in Frascati, a small theater that also organizes theater discussions for a youn (under 27 audience). After Friday’s show, I participated in a debate about ‘Bimbo’ and bimbo culture. I explained how audiences make meaning and elaborated one the sexual morals of today’s youth. More >
