Was Osama Bin Laden on Social Media?

Osama Bin Laden was found and killed by the American navy-seals. He was hiding there for a long period of time, far from the Americans but close to the Pakistan people. Not everyone knew Osama Bin Laden. Was he himself the last years? Or did he had another identity?

In present time, we as human beings have a lot identities. People take on identities throughout their lives and find new ways  to represent themselves to the world. Was this also the case with Osama Bin Laden? Did he have multiple identities?

Identification is a process which we are working on all the time. Identity never stops or has an end date, it is going on and on. Long after people have their own home, a nice car and live happily in a nice neighborhood, they still work on their identity. This all depends on the situation we are in, the people we talk to, the stage of life we are in etc.

We can determine two main identities, the first one is personal identity and the second one is the social identity. The personal identity is made by answering the question "Who am I?". What do people think about who the are? The social identity is created by the view which others have about us. What do others think of us? What do others tell about me?

So, did Osama Bin Laden had multiple identities? He could be on social media with a fancy profile and could pretending to be someone else. But we will never know..

Inspiration: Computer Mediated Communication and Identity Making

BuddyAbroad: mobile app for exchange students!

An enthusiastic project group of undergraduate students User-Interface Design of Tilburg University in the Netherlands designed a mobile application for exchange students who are going to study in the Netherlands. There are some similar products in the market, but this app contains all the features that students want to have and need.

The application is divided into two main parts, "information before going to the Netherlands" and "information during their stay in the Netherlands". These two components form the basic elements of all the experiences, tips and tricks which are contributed by other exchange students. Topics such as housing, travelling, public transport and medical services are examples of this great application with interesting features. 

Students can add "spots" to show where they are, and connect with friends easily. Below you can see some screenshots of this application. 

Students can choose in a simple interface in which country they are going to study

The menu gives a nice overview of the subjects of the features and content. 

 forum-liked interface with photos and other images makes the application pleasant to use. 

The project group at Tilburg University , is now challenging the possibilities of taking the product into production. You will read it here if and also when the product is going out on the market. Keep in touch!