Category: Student essays

Eunice Chan, August 16, 2019

Introduction

In his seminal book, Mythologies, Roland Barthes explores the concept of modern myths— that is, socially constructed ideas that are taken as fact within a community. He wrote, “everything, in everyday life, is dependent on the representation which the bourgeoisie has and makes us have of the relations between man and the world” (139). He examines the second-order semiological systems of words, and how they contribute to myth-making.

Barthes revealed the many ways which communities create and reinforce myths. Focusing on these ideas, I will examine the subreddit r/AmItheAsshole. I will look at how the subreddit uses institution and words to fabricate and reinforce the myths of oppositions between concepts. In particular, I will look at the opposition between right and asshole, and the opposition between situational and personal. Continue reading “The Very Model of a Modern Major Asshole”

Everything I needed to know in life, I learned from Neopets. A bold statement, which may not be strictly true, but let’s examine the facts. First, I learned to code on Neopets when I made my own webpage in HTML lauding my pets. Second, I learned how an economy works on Neopets, participating in trading and figuring out the importance of the“store of value” aspect of currency. Finally, I learned what meant to be in a community, supporting one another and enjoying each other’s company. These were all formative experiences for young, middle school me. Continue reading “Nostalgia and Community: An Exploration of Neopets”

The internet is a world built using words and images in place of brick and mortar. As is often the case, the results of such tools depend on whose holding them. When it comes to online discourse concerning Donald Trump, the structure typically rests upon a foundation of conflict and hostility. The animosity which emerges between his supporters and opponents can be discovered in almost any context, even when the subject matter does not superficially appear to reference Trump’s political agenda. However, it is often within this peripheral discourse that new social and cultural ideals may be constructed through the use of multifaceted language. Such is the case with HottiesforTrump, a SubReddit page designed for posting and commenting on images of women identified as Trump supporters and happens to result in discourse regarding both the objectification of women and political idealization.

By Aubrey Ross Continue reading ““Liberty, Guns, Beer and Titties”: The Intersection of Political Discourse and Constructed Masculinity”

In an age of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” do we need more facts, more evidence, and more truth, or can misinformation only be exposed by better interpretation? The Trump administration’s attacks on the trustworthiness of mainstream media, coupled with its unwillingness to acknowledge its own informational biases, renders this hermeneutic question important.

By Marc Vasquez  Continue reading ““Back Your Claim”: Deconstructing the Evidence/Feeling Binary on r/AskTrumpSupporters”

Marc Vasquez, 11 August 2018

In an age of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” do we need more facts, more evidence, and more truth, or can misinformation only be exposed by better interpretation? The Trump administration’s attacks on the trustworthiness of mainstream media, coupled with its unwillingness to acknowledge its own informational biases, renders this hermeneutic question important. Considering the endless amounts of “information” that can be accessed via digital media, and the ease and speed of online publishing, the possibilities and limits of knowledge and expression must be reexamined. Through critical engagement with data—specifically, with data as “capta,” captured and taken, in Drucker’s terms—the digital humanities are well-poised to confront these epistemological and interpretative issues. Harnessing the capacities of computers, the digital humanist can uncover macro- and micro-level patterns to illuminate the relationship between, on the one hand, online expressions of pro- and anti-Trump discourse, and on the other hand, the status of evidence and truth in the wider public. Continue reading ““Back Your Claim”: Deconstructing the Evidence/Feeling Binary on r/AskTrumpSupporters”