The Hmm partners with cultural institutions, schools and universities, media organisations, and technology companies to deliver expert advice and provide a reflection on contemporary internet culture and its far-reaching societal implications. We offer lectures and workshops, curatorial consultations, expert advice, editorial content, and commissioned events.

Presenting The Hmm’s Top Ten Internet Insights

Do you want to better understand internet culture? With The Hmm we’ve spent the last five years reflecting on this overwhelming place and discovering the impact of our clicks. During this keynote presentation, we’ll give ten key insights on current developments, trends, and topics on the internet that you need to know.

A customized The Hmm event

With our cultural events, we have offered a stage to more than 300 researchers, thinkers, artists, designers, and fans of the internet. Topics range from privacy and the power of Big Tech companies to the fascinating habits of influencers and weird online niches. We can mobilize our wide and diverse network to curate and develop a tailor-made event for your organization. We’ve worked with the Creative Industries Fund, the Netherlands Film Festival, Institute of Network Cultures, and Impakt, amongst others.

Workshops

Students and schoolchildren are a generation that lives on the internet. In their spare time, they make TikTok videos, create sticker sets for WhatsApp groups and make their own face filters for Instagram. They are aware of new developments and speak the new languages ​​that are emerging online. However, we believe that a critical perspective and awareness of the platforms and tools they use on a daily basis are lacking. We all know that these topics affect young people, but how do we give them the tools and know-how to deal with these ever-changing digital platforms? That’s where The Hmm can help: by activating this age group in a fun and informative way, through workshops at their school.

We have several set formats of workshops available (Face Filters, Emoji, TikTok, and Smooth Virtual Events), all available in an existing format or customized to your specific needs. Scroll down for a full description of our workshops!

Interested in following one of our workshops, or booking them for educational purposes? Contact us at training@thehmm.nl and we’ll get back to you! If you already have a topic in mind that’s not listed here, do not hesitate to ask us for more information.

Workshop: Face Filters

Woke up with a pimple? Or with huge bags under your eyes? This doesn’t have to ruin your selfie. You can just set up a face filter. Filters make our digital existence a lot more fun. We can turn ourselves into a dog or a rabbit, we can switch genders or see what we will look like in forty years. Facial recognition software is becoming more and more common. We’re even unlocking our phones every day with it. But is it smart to give our faces away to Big Tech companies? Because we’re using the nice gender switch filter on Snapchat, these technologies learn to read our faces better and better. During this workshop, we take a critical look at this technology. When is it okay to give our face away? Shouldn’t we protect it? After an interactive exploration of the topic, students are challenged to design their own face filter—one that makes their face unrecognizable for a facial recognition algorithm. For this workshop, we use the 3D program Spark AR, which is free software that Facebook makes available to create filters. The program is a nice, accessible way to learn AR design which offers a lot of opportunities for playfulness and creativity.

Workshop: Emoji

Emoji have become indispensable worldwide and have revolutionised our communication. But there is a whole world behind the funny, angry, or sad faces on your phone. For example, did you know that one organization determines with which emoji we communicate? An organization that also works closely with large technology companies such as Apple, Facebook, and Google. Which emoji currently exist on our phone (and is there one that can be removed?) Is there an emoji that you’re still missing? And would it pass the jury’s critical selection? During this workshop, led by emoji expert Lilian Stolk, you will learn everything about the background of this visual language, how Big Tech companies decide which emoji we can use, and the advantages of communicating with images. Ultimately, you will design a sticker set not to be missed in your digital conversations.

Workshop: TikTok

TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform. Only three years after its launch outside China, the platform has become a serious competitor for American Big Tech companies such as Facebook and YouTube. It’s mainly used by a young target group, but are these youngsters aware of the workings of the app? What makes a TikTok video go viral? What are the consequences of the company’s Chinese background? This workshop aims to develop a reflective and critical eye for TikTok. The students get to work hands-on, making a series of TikTok documentaries about an aspect of the TikTok universe. The TikTok documentary can be about the development of a particular challenge, the difference between the Chinese version of TikTok and the Western version, or an analysis of a popular TikTokker. During this workshop, students learn to reflect on this increasingly popular platform and how you can convey information within a short time frame. This is a skill that will become more and more relevant in the near future.

Workshop: Virtual Event Experiences

How can you turn your online events into exciting experiences? With The Hmm we used the pandemic as an opportunity to discover the tremendous potential of virtual spaces. Simply moving your in-person events online doesn’t necessarily delight attendees. With the risk of them leaving your event in just one click, it’s important to plan ahead and create an engaging experience. How can you activate a virtual audience? What tools do you need to create an intimate atmosphere online? What’s the best platform to host your online event? How do you avoid technical hiccups? During this session, we’ll share our knowledge about organizing live-streamed events and show you the many possibilities out there.

Interested in following one of our workshops, or booking them for educational purposes? Contact us at training@thehmm.nl and we’ll get back to you! If you already have a topic in mind not listed here, do not hesitate to ask us for more information.