DGTL festival 2019 is kicking off the festival season this Easter weekend at the NDSM wharf of Amsterdam. This festival boasts an extensive lineup and an artsy-industrial design, bringing in hundreds of devout techno fans each year. But DGTL also prides itself in the fact that it is very rapidly…

In light of recent extreme climate events, such as the recent heat wave that broke heat records in multiple European countries and melted 11 million tonnes of ice in just 24 hours, it is important to revisit how exactly we can combat climate change and neutralize our effects on the…

To date, there are 150 million metric tonnes of plastic in the ocean. If it is difficult to picture how much that is, the largest accumulation of this plastic — called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — is 3 times the size of France. …

Although we live in a digital era, we still produce an astonishing amount of paper. Globally, paper production is at 390 million tonnes, and is expected to rise to 490 million tonnes by 2020. Unsurprisingly, massive rates of paper production requires massive amounts of natural resources. Approximately 24 trees, 300…

A recent study from CBS showed that 29% of people between 18–25 years considered themselves ‘addicted’ to social media. But what does it mean to be a true addict? Who is responsible for addressing this public issue? — We talked to Lisanne de Weert, student of Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering, and Greta Seuling, student of Psychology, to ask these and other questions about our youth’s increasing dependence on social media platforms.

Stem cells are no doubt a disruptive technology with great potential. But are we overlooking any dangers? Does the public truly understand what this technology is capable of, and how it can change society? — We talked with two students: Stefano Coco, a Master student of Biomedical Engineering who is conducting research within the department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, and Jan Reineke, a Master student of Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society, with a particular interest in debates around human enhancement technologies and regenerative…

Sex robots have been described both as sophisticated sex toys and automated companions capable of improving our quality of life. But can we really get intimate with robots? And how will they reshape our interactions with other humans? — We spoke with Master students Alessandro Capra (Human Media Interaction) and Alessio Gerola ( Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society) about the implications of this increasingly popular technology.

The first Sarco Pod, a machine in which you can be euthanized with the blink of an eye, is set to be built later this year in the Netherlands. This brings back the discussion about euthanasia. Do people have the right to choose when they want to die? And what are the consequences of such a machine? — Euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands for over 16 years now. The Sarco Pod brings the discussion about this controversial topic back, as it is, shortly said, an euthanasia machine. With a blink of an eye, liquid nitrogen is released into the chamber in which the patient lies. The…

Sesame Credit is a ‘Black Mirror’ episode come to life. This automated rating system gives Chinese citizens’ a score based on their level of reliability and trustworthiness. University of Twente students share their opinions on this Social Credit System. — Amidst the controversy raised by the Chinese government’s initiative of implementing a compulsory Social Credit Score System in the country by 2020, we decided to speak with two Master students whose areas of expertise could help us figure out what’s at stake with this technology. …