Posted on: September 26, 2018 Posted by: Madita Strähle Comments: 1

Museum of Memes: A Cultural Phenomenon

Emily Higginson was a high school student when she first contemplated the idea of creating a meme museum. The vision of an entire exhibition space dedicated towards memes was quickly brushed off as a joke as she continued on with her life. Nevertheless, the interest in memes stayed with her. This year, Higginson started her third bachelor year in Communication Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. She looks back at…

Posted on: September 25, 2018 Posted by: Annika Heinemeyer Comments: 1

“Yet Another Night of Protest” Opens the Week of Activist Action

After the government announced a cut back of 183 million euros on education, UvA students have tirelessly demonstrated their discontentment by protesting, marching and sending petitions to The Hague last semester. As the new academic year arrived, UvA students have received little to no answer to their call for help. This week, student associations ASVA, Humanities Rally, University of Colour and Disability and NU! brought back the attention on the issue…

Posted on: September 24, 2018 Posted by: Lucia Holaskova Comments: 1

Embracing Solitude during Studentdom

Studentdom at a university is one of the most inexorable times in a person’s life. It gives us the opportunity to finally study what you want, to make new like-minded friends and to party the night away. On the other hand, it means endless nights of studying, managing finances and cleaning up the kitchen after that supposedly small get-together. Living alone is scary, but it’s enlightening in so many ways.…

Posted on: September 24, 2018 Posted by: Dino Wildi Comments: 0

Long-standing Crisis: Excess Demand in Amsterdam’s Housing Market

Kim Lechler, a 24-years-old Master’s student from Berlin, had so much trouble finding affordable housing in Amsterdam that she even considered commuting from the German capital of Berlin. The solution she found is hardly more conventional, living in a big tent in the Camping Zeeburg campsite for two weeks until she could move into a temporary room for the next month. While Lechler’s solution is certainly unusual, her problem is…

Posted on: September 20, 2018 Posted by: Aakash Nair Comments: 0

The Copyright Directive

The Copyright Directive (colloquially known as the EU’s ‘meme ban’) was recently passed by the European Parliament with 438 votes to 226 against. After an impending final vote in January, its entry into the statute book seems increasingly likely. Even though meme pages on social media have enjoyed the opportunity to be self-referential, they are perhaps not the most reliable source for information on the first major change to copyright…