|
|
Memethodology
Polách, Jakub ; Bělohradský, Václav (referee) ; Magid, Václav (advisor)
With the accessibility of graphic editors and the development of social media, visual communication has reached a state where images that are important for cultural, social or political events are created by internet subcultures. Visual artists or graphic designers with academic degrees then just thematize their activity or directly exploit them on walls or objects housed in brick-and-mortar institutions, which include art and design schools. These can be characterized as a market-driven recombination of fragmented assignments, skills, guests, lectures or conferences, the nature of which is subordinated to the automated algorithm configuration of digital platforms. Schools fulfil the role of browser extensions instead of becoming browsers themselves. Paradoxically, the outputs of intensive training that are part of this non-stop, passively received infotainment of a consumer-randomized approach to education cannot be capitalized on by themselves – it is not the formal quality of the outputs that plays a role, but their skillful entanglement in the social fabric of purposeful relationships. The thesis therefore draws on the assumptions that expertise can have extremely low visual resolution, that a pointer in an orientation system may not be a vector arrow but an interpretation of Marxism on TikTok. The thesis may not only thematise these and other approaches but actively participate in them through the formation of memethodology as a formally and content-inclusive open-source medium.
|
|
|
Contemporary American right-wing extremism using the example of the Proud Boys with a focus on the ideology of violence
Šaník, Jan ; Charvát, Jan (advisor) ; Dopieralla, Jakub (referee)
This thesis examines contemporary American extremism, using the example of the far-right, all-male organization Proud Boys, whose members refer to themselves as "Western chauvinists." Thesis analyzes the group in terms of its history, organization, and hierarchy. Paying special attention to the group's ideology, the thesis aims to place the group in the larger context of American society and to name the factors that influenced the group's direction in terms of its ideological grounding in violence. In this thesis, I will defend the thesis that violence plays a privileged role that co-creates the ideology of the group as a whole. The thesis is designed to provide an answer to the question "what role does violence play in the Proud Boys?" Through an in-depth qualitative content analysis, this thesis discusses the relationship between violence and the ideology of the Proud Boys and explains how violence contributes a unifying role. In general, this study contributes to an understanding of both the motivations and behaviors of the Proud Boys group and contributes to the larger discourse on extremism in contemporary America.
|
|
| |
|
|
Antisemitic memes on 4chan.org
Feistinger, Aleš ; Vochocová, Lenka (advisor) ; Nečas, Vlastimil (referee)
In my thesis I address three questions: 1. What are the principles of memes? 2. What categories of anti-Semitic memes can we identify on 4chan.org? And 3. how do they relate to existing knowledge about anti-Semitic propaganda? To answer the first question, I review current theories ranging from active audiences, through Internet memes, to the interaction of memes and politics. Furthermore in the theoretical section, I describe the website 4chan.org (including its boards /b/ and /pol/) and the current form of anti-Semitism on the Internet. For the research of the second question, I have identified semiotic analysis, complemented by grounded theory, as the most appropriate methodology. I present its methodology and practical use, followed by presenting results including subcategories and illustrative examples. The thesis concludes by integrating the most important findings into current knowledge and anti-Semitism and thus answering the third research question. Finally, the main findings are summarized.
|
|
| |
|
|
Memethodology
Polách, Jakub ; Bělohradský, Václav (referee) ; Magid, Václav (advisor)
With the accessibility of graphic editors and the development of social media, visual communication has reached a state where images that are important for cultural, social or political events are created by internet subcultures. Visual artists or graphic designers with academic degrees then just thematize their activity or directly exploit them on walls or objects housed in brick-and-mortar institutions, which include art and design schools. These can be characterized as a market-driven recombination of fragmented assignments, skills, guests, lectures or conferences, the nature of which is subordinated to the automated algorithm configuration of digital platforms. Schools fulfil the role of browser extensions instead of becoming browsers themselves. Paradoxically, the outputs of intensive training that are part of this non-stop, passively received infotainment of a consumer-randomized approach to education cannot be capitalized on by themselves – it is not the formal quality of the outputs that plays a role, but their skillful entanglement in the social fabric of purposeful relationships. The thesis therefore draws on the assumptions that expertise can have extremely low visual resolution, that a pointer in an orientation system may not be a vector arrow but an interpretation of Marxism on TikTok. The thesis may not only thematise these and other approaches but actively participate in them through the formation of memethodology as a formally and content-inclusive open-source medium.
|
|
| |
|
|
The rise of the alt-right in the US and its online presence
Rýdl, Štěpán ; Ženíšek, Jakub (advisor) ; Váňa, Jan (referee)
1 The 2016 US presidential election was significant, among other reasons, due to being noticeably influenced by a new far-right movement. Coined in 2008 by Richard Spencer, the term "alt-right" refers to a fringe online far-right movement. This thesis aims provide a brief summary of all the significant aspects of the ideology. The most important ideological tenets: emphasis on masculinity, ethno- nationalism and anti-Semitism; will be described, as well as the online presence and conduct of its followers. The alt-right movement will be compared to other far-right and conservative ideologies and its rhetoric analysed as a form of propaganda.
|
|
|
Roles Women Play in the Alt-Right: Aspirations and Limitations
Chagas Linhares, Dominique ; Aslan, Emil (advisor) ; Plechanovová, Běla (referee)
Despite women's historical involvement in far phenomenon is a mismatch between analysts' expectations and far right women's be The lack of substantial research that focuses on women's narratives and recollections of their women's positions. A recent replication of this phenomenon is right women's motivations in en the movement is aligned to their interests. Additionally, I engage with women's perspectives on right and the lack of space and support for women's the subjects of women's interests in the alt right' women's perspectives in women's terms, as such an approach will provide analysts and
|
|
|
ANT-Security Interface and the Current Information Crisis
Downs, Alexander ; Vostal, Filip (advisor) ; Špelda, Petr (referee)
We live in a world driven by fast technologies. The same technologies that make information more accessible have created a dilemma by which the same conduits have also enabled access to mass amounts of counter-factual information. It is the assertion of this thesis project that counter- factual information poses a growing risk to the security and stability in liberal democratic societies and warrants a proportional response. The body of work which follows will explore what I have characterized as an information crisis. The information crisis, so presented, is a multi-faceted issue. It's constituent causes and outcomes concern both scholars of security studies and sociology. To address breadth of scope and immediacy of the crisis, the conceptual framework purposed in this project offers an interface between actor-network theory and security studies (ANT-security interface). Actor-network theory is a material-semiotic approach that preferences engagement with human and technological actants as an assemblage. Or, in other words, a network of relationships. The first chapter will introduce the dimensions of the information crisis, providing relevant examples of how counter-factual information embodies a human, and societal security issue. It will delineate important concepts such as misinformation, and...
|
guest ::
