The Polyphony
What if your morning routine isn’t actually yours? From the strategic sequence of your alarms to the global network behind your first cup of coffee, waking up has become less of a fresh start and more of a digital negotiation. Blending personal narrative with contemporary critical theory, this piece deconstructs the fragile, beautiful mess of what it truly means to “become a self” in a world of constant connection.
When we watch Disney’s Zootopia, it is easy to be swept up in the vibrant, glossy optimism of a city where “anyone can be anything.” But let us look past the colourful surface, and tangle the meticulously managed system built on deep-seated anxieties and infrastructures of distrust. This paper pulls back the curtain on the film’s playful storytelling to reveal a much sharper, more complex analysis of institutional power and societal inequality than meets the viewing eye.
The 2008 financial crisis wasn’t just a market crash—it was the result of unchecked greed, risky lending, and a housing bubble that spiraled out of control. Millions lost their homes, banks crumbled, and governments were forced to intervene. History has a way of repeating itself, and understanding the “black hole” of 2008 is key to preventing future financial disasters.
In the early 1990s, the burst of Japan’s economic bubble led not only to financial turmoil but also to a significant brain drain. The so-called “Lost Decade” brought a sharp decline to Japan’s once-thriving electronics and semiconductor industries, with companies downsizing, resources dwindling, and innovation capacities weakening. Kha guides us through this period, revealing how the collapse of the bubble economy triggered profound changes in Japan’s tech industry.
People often see social media as an influencer on our personal life, but gradually, it then became a catalyst for the change in our daily civic engagement, the dynamics of urban landscape, and even further restoration of city planning. Come with Vien to find out what’s so special about the SNS we use everyday?
“Vita: Life in a Zone of Social Abandonment” talks about the abandoned people in Vita, Brazil and how the abandonment affected their “selves”. This book focuses on Catarina, an abandoned woman in Vita, and her “dictionary” from which her “voice”, which once lost its legitimacy, could be heard once more.
The Polyphony