Acceptance of a virtual coach for quitting smoking and becoming more physically active: A thematic analysis: Traits for a virtual coach to be a ”friend”

Seeing the virtual coach as a friend is beneficial as it increases the motivation, confidence, and perseverance of the accompanying. Here, an investigation has taken place to what characteristics the virtual coach must possess to establish this friendly relationship. Thus, the main research question is: What are the reasons for seeing the...

Koolhaas, Superstudio, and the paradox of their affinity: Researching a friendship that emerged through misunderstanding by juxtaposing their professional- and personal relationship

In the winter of 1970, Rem Koolhaas visited the architecture collective Superstudio, and he expressed great appreciation towards the studio’s founders Adolfo Natalini and Cristiano Toraldo di Francia. What ensued was a long time of correspondence, especially between Koolhaas and Natalini. They gravitated toward each other, and they celebrated...

Polis of Eydaimonia, a place of freedom

Using Aristotle’s theory of friendship to classify online friendships: A critical counterview

In a special issue of “Ethics and Information Technology” (September 2012), various philosophers have discussed the notion of online friendship. The preferred framework of analysis was Aristotle’s theory of friendship: it was argued that online friendships face many obstacles that hinder them from ever reaching the highest form of Aristotelian...

How Much do Your Friends Tell About You?: Reconstructing Private Information from the Friendship Graph

After the early land rush and fast exponential growth of online social networking platforms, concerns about how data placed in online social networks may be exploited and abused have begun to appear among mainstream users. Social networking sites have responded to these new public sentiments by introducing privacy filters to their site, allowing...