Connecting the disconnected
The Aesthetic Capital podcast’s host Doortje Smithuijsen is the senior fellow of the Connected World theme.
Our lives are changing because of digitalisation and globalisation. The Connected World profile theme of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is supporting efforts such as the Aesthetic Capital podcast looking into how we can stay connected to our society. That is, how we can reduce or prevent alienation or loneliness. The Connected World profile theme is all about relationships.
Within the Connected World theme, Doortje sought to focus on a subject that connects and divides our modern society in different ways. Something that concerns everyone but also raises questions from a social, economical and philosophical perspective. Something that connects digitalization and our daily lives. She ended up with aesthetic capital.
The Connected World
We bring together what can be (re)connected. Fellow human beings, no matter how different. Society and nature. City and countryside. Past, present and future. The real and virtual world. Human and artificial intelligence. Local, national and international politics and society. Connections that create space for expression of one’s own identity and those of others. Where there’s room for debate, but also a willingness to change and come closer together.
We aim for cohesiveness in our society. Historians, heritage experts, geographers and economists from VU Amsterdam work together on spatial plans for a liveable environment that fits with historical tradition, and that brings the existing local community and newcomers together. Linguists study how language technologies can unpack the social debate by objectively analysing information, knowledge and opinions on blogs. Our artificial intelligence experts work with theatre makers on socially intelligent robots that recognise people’s speech patterns, faces and basic emotions, so that robots can assist in healthcare or education.
Political scientists, communications experts and behavioural scientists research how we can combat polarisation and disinformation, and what motivates people to change their behaviour or to restart a dialogue, however big the barrier may be. Through gaming, we help young people to overcome negative self-image due to the pressures of social media. Through VR, we look at how we can combat problems like stress and the “plastic soup” found in our planet’s waters. And in the humanities, we study how culture and nature influence each other and can be brought together in a more sustainable way.
The Aesthetic Capital podcast disseminates these insights in an engaging way, connects ideas and pushes them to limits for which we let the listener be the judge.
Alongside the podcast, the theme has been and will be explored through many other mediums:
Book
Conference
Ivar Vermeulen edited a book authored by 100 Vrije Universiteit academics who gave insights on how to build genuine bonds in our world which is more digitally connected than ever before, yet where true social cohesion is becoming scarcer. See more here.
The book opening featured the Vrije Universiteit’s Rector Magnificus Jeroen Geurts, Dean of the Humanities Faculty Susan Legene, musician Gaya Yona and our podcast host Doortje Smithuijsen.
Vrije Universiteit also hosted a day-long conference on the theme touching on various topics: educating for societal impact, decolonizing the digital society, knowledge production and indigenous knowledge as well as beyond the fashion
Research
Project
As part of the Connected World theme teams of researchers and students undertake research over 9 months on the Connected World theme
Finally, with the aim of creating a more open, accessible, inclusive, and collaborative Vrije Universiteit campus, the Connected World theme is financing a project which will be decided in February.
