Flowzine, February 2023

Hi there!

Thank you for picking up and opening the 28th edition of the Flowzine! This edition is the first one for this InFlow Committee and I am very proud to show you the hard work we have put into it. We compiled a wide variety of topics, so everyone can find something they are interested in!

Have fun reading and let us know what you think!

Isa Kraaijvanger InFlow co-commissioner ‘22-’23

COLOPHON

Flowzine is the official magazine of Study Association Flow. Issue no. 28

Contact:

NL: inflowcommissie@svflow.nl

EN: inflowcommittee@svflow.nl

Commissioners: Isa Kraaijvanger & Puck Outshoorn

Design: Isa Kraaijvanger

Committee: Isa Kraaijvanger, Puck Outshoorn, Gavin Dam, Aleksandra Daniluk, Désirée van den Berg & Milan Baars

Special thanks to: Rianne van Zijp, Loes Janssen

Rianne van Zijp

Milan Baars & Gavin Dam

Meet the InFlow!

Before you start reading the interesting and entertaining articles, it is time to introduce you to the people who have written them. We proudly present to you, the InFlow Committee of 2022-2023!

Hey, I’m Aleksandra. I come from Poland and have been existing on this earth for 24 years already. Currently living in Eindhoven and studying Communication and Information Sciences Master at Tilburg University. I moved to The Netherlands around 3 years ago for Global Management of Social Issues Bachelor which I did also in Tilburg. I believe that a day without seeing at least one dog is a sad day and I’m a big fan of traveling to random European cities for a weekend.

Hey! My name is Milan, I’m 21 years old and a third year Communication and Information Sciences student. I was born and raised in Doesburg in Gelderland, but I already live in Tilburg for a while now. In my spare time, I really enjoy watching and playing different sports, in particular football. I also have been an active member of Flow for a while now and last year I did a board year. Now I’m trying to finish my Bachelor, to be able to start a Master in Media and Journalism next year!

Hello everyone! I’m Désirée and I’m 20 years old. I grew up in Wijk & Aalburg. I’m into writing, (web) design, (board)games and art. So, I think creativity is a big part of me. I also adore being with my family and friends and I’m a big fan of theme park The Efteling. Last two years I really enjoyed being a member and commissioner of the InFlow Committee and this year I have the honor to be the chair of our To Communicate Blog! I hope you’ll have fun, and you’ll learn something while reading our Flowzine, 2C-blog and newsletters!

Hi everyone! My name is Gavin Dam, I am 20 years old and this year I will fill the position of Educational Affairs in the 21st board of Study Association Flow. I’m from Hoeven a small village close to Breda and since I joined Flow I have been IFAC through and through. This year I will help writing all sorts of fun articles for the InFlow and help create some really cool Flowzines! I look forward to doing this and can’t wait for you to read the rest!

Hi there! My name's Puck and I'm 22 years old. I'm originally from Breda, but I've lived in Tilburg for a while now. In my free time, you can find me either in the bar with my friends, at home playing videogames or reading a good book. Although this is my fourth year within Flow, I'm still very excited to be in a new committee and work with these amazing people. Have fun reading our first Flowzine!

Hey there! My name is Isa, I am 21 years old and live in Bladel. My hobbies include hanging with friends, travelling and doing anything creative. This is my third year as an active member of Flow, and I am returning to my roots, since the InFlow was the first committee I joined! I am very much looking forward to working together with this amazing committee and delivering you some great Flowzines!

Drunken Disasters

To get to know us even better, we each wrote down one of our drunken stories.

1. I slept on a table outside one of my friends’ house when I did not know which key was for the back door.

After too many shots, me and my friends did a very enthousiastic sing-along to Studio 100 songs.

2.

3. 4.

During my high school's ski trip, I drunkenly tripped and decided I was quite comfy before almost falling asleep laying on the ski slope.

5. Once, after a fun evening, I tried for thirty minutes to open the backdoor, before literally falling into the house, because the door was unlocked all along.

6. Answers:

Rianne Recommends:

Date Hotspots

Research shows that I’m pretty good at discovering hotspots in Tilburg and beyond. And for this month of love, I am sharing some restaurant and bar recommendations for dates. So, whether you are in a relationship, a serial first-dater or dating yourself, definitely check out one of these

De Carpacciobar

Fancy a lunch date? Eat every type of carpaccio imaginable at De Carpacciobar! Order a healthy tuna carpaccio or a lovely chocolate carpaccio for dessert if that’s more your style, but don’t forget to bring your Flow Member Card because you’ll score a nice discount!

Cinecitta

SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION review

The question of which movie is the greatest movie of all time is an ongoing debate. Many people have different opinions and every year movie directors try to change existing opinions by bringing out their newest ‘masterpiece’. Multiple online forums try to figure out which movie is the best and many website s have a ranking to ‘objectively’ rate all the films. In this article , we, as the InFlow Committee, will also give it a try. We have picked the number one film on one of the biggest movie rankings to be rated by us: The Shawshank Redemption. We have watched this piece of cinematic history and gave our alternative commentary on

carrying a gun, strangely only adds to the picture. After presumably murdering his wife and her oh-so-beloved paramour in cold blood s , his defense ‘I was too confused and drunk’ (just as many members during Flow’s Monthly Drinks) wasn’t enough during the trial and he obviously was sentenced to life in prison, the Shawshank prison (wow, how coincidental!) to be precise . .

In Shawshank prison, many prisoners are located. They all did something that was not so nice. But then there is Red (not the color, but an inmate). He is the real OG and he has got the prison life thing sorted, by ‘locating certain things from time to time’. The new inmate, Andy, is only a noob and therefore is being bullied and assaulted since his arrival. But prison life takes a turn for Andy when Red starts to help him and

the guards figure out Andy can do some high-IQ moves with their finances. But how the turntables? Andy’s high IQ helps him to plan his own escape. After his actual escape, the guards suddenly don’t like him so much anymore, but Andy isn’t around anymore to notice any of that. Red eventually gets released earlier because he was such a good boy. And since they were such besties, Andy makes sure Red can join him on his remote island in the most difficult and impractical way ever. But in the end, they meet again and live happily ever after. ccccccccccccc

Overall, very good movie. We’d give it a perfect

The Shawshank Redemption

was released in 1994 and is a movie based on a novel by Stephen King called Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Whilst the movie is rated as one of the best movies of all time, it was a box-office disappointment and the number of people seeing it in movies was relatively small. This was mainly caused by the fact that at the same time movies such as Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump, made for a fierce competition. Despite this disappoint ment, the Shawshank Redemption received multiple award nomina tions, including seven Oscar nominations. The movie, however, never really won one of those.

Expert

Valentine’s Day the Eyes of an Meet our expert!

The 14th of February

is a very special day. Whether you like it or not, on this date it’s Valentine’s Day. On this very special occasion, you celebrate love by doing something nice for your loved ones or giving them a cute present. Pessimists (or realists) would argue you are just stimulating the economy by supporting this capitalistic holiday. No matter which view you support, in this article we will dive deeper into this day of love with the help of dr. Loes Janssen, lecturer in the department of Communication and Cognition of Tilburg University. She will give her expert opinion about facts, statements and questions about Valentine’s Day and hand you a new perspective on this celebration of romance. .

Hi, my name is Loes Janssen and I have been an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Cognition since 2015, where I conduct research on persuasive communication (communication intended to persuade) and teach in this field, mainly within the Business Communication and Digital Media track. Trained as a social psychologist and a communication scientist, I find it extremely interesting which psychological processes play a role in influencing people, and how to act on them to overcome resistance.

Over the years I have focused more and more on health communication and I look for example at how principles from commercial communication, such as influencer marketing, can be used to promote health (e.g. sex education through influencers) and ‘social’ purposes (e.g. sustainability).

What is your personal opinion on Valentine’s Day?

I usually let this day pass me by unnoticed. I do like the idea of celebrating love, but because of all the commercial stuff surrounding it, the real message is lost on me.

How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

As I mentioned, usually I let this day just go by, but that doesn’t mean that I have never done anything with it, I did write a card for my boyfriend once, but that was at the beginning of our relationship (a long time ago haha). And I’ve also sent a card to a friend once, to give her some encouragement because her relationship had just ended. But nothing too excessive.

Valentine’s Day has a history of classical and pure romance

I honestly do not know the exact genesis of this tradition, but as far as I know, this day has been inextricably linked to commerce since time immemorial, and “blown over” to Europe from the US.

Valentine’s Day is only about romantic relationships

‘In my high school days (the good old ‘90s) it was still mainly about the romance of anonymous declarations of love (I did receive a card at the time, probably from a classmate) and surprising your beloved, but nowadays it has become more and more common to also surprise other people you care about or appreciate under the guise of ‘day of love’, such as a good friend, a family member, or a colleague. Under the influence of commerce, the concept has been increasingly stret ched over the years, and is now also used to promote topics such as self-love, love for animals and love for nature’

How come Valentine’s Day still is so very popular amongst so many?

Advertising and commerce around Valentine’s Day know how to play on basic human needs for affection and recognition. Who doesn’t want to feel loved and cherished and feel appreciated and mean something to someone? Conversely, we all also feel the need to show affection to another person. So, Valentine’s-related advertising taps into these needs and related emotions, such as the joy and warmth you feel when you love someone, or someone loves you, and that you feel when you surprise someone or are surprised by someone. We never get enough of that!

The most ridiculous items are sold at Valentine’s times during the period prior to the day itself. For instance, special toilet paper was marketed as a ‘romantic’ Valentine’s Day item. Isn’t that quite bizarre?

Yes it is, but on the other hand, it isn’t that surprising. Valentine’s Day commerce has already moved way beyond ‘romantic’ products such as cards, flowers, chocolate, jewelry and lingerie. I think that with good framing you can promote almost any product with a Valentine’s Day touch to take advantage of the commercial success.

Do you have any special (or strange) Valentine’s experiences yourself?

When I worked at Radboud University I was once in the university library on Valentine’s Day, where I received a rose. “How nice to surprise people like that!”, was my reaction at first, whereupon I was asked to buy some kind of membership for something. It turned out to be a classic reciprocity strategy (“quid-pro-quo”; people are more likely to agree to a request if they get something

Any last advice to all the romantics reading this article?

My suggestion would be to just ignore this day and surprise your loved ones at another (more spontaneous) time. And then not with expensive stuff, but something to make memories together (people are much happier with new experiences than with products), or just with a sweet letter every once in a while. I never have celebrated Valentine’s Day and have been very happy with my beloved for almost 24 years

Ways To Keep the Heat In Your House

The winter of 2022 was surely one of the worst ones for our wallets, especially for student pockets. High energy prices hit many countries, bringing a cost–of–living crisis which made many people consciously limit their gas consumption. And even though we are already halfway through the winter, we still have to survive the next few weeks of cold. That is why we are bringing you some inspiration regarding how to keep your room or apartment warm without actually turning on the heater. These unconventional ideas are definitely budget-friendly, and

Let’s start with some simple actions. A very easy way to prevent heat from escaping is to insulate walls and floors. It might sound complicated, but it literally means putting draft stoppers on doors to prevent cold air from coming in or placing a rug or carpet on your floor to add an extra layer of insulation. You can buy both of these products online for a small price so you don’t have to go outside, which can be seen as a bonus. But in case you don’t want to do so, you can just spread a blanket on the floor or place a folded blanket underneath your door, which should work just fine.

Another important aspect you can take care of is the windows, which are the weakest points of your room or apartment. Here is where the window treatments, such as blinds or curtains, come to use as they block out cold air and

retain heat. However, as heaters are usually placed directly below the windows, you need to remember to not accidentally cover them with floor-length curtains as they can block the

If you want to get much out of it, you should leave the foil covering your window for the whole day which means you won’t get a lot of sunlight in your room. Lastly, as working or studying from space and does not let it into the room. Your curtains shouldn’t cover the top of the radiator but should stop just below the window ledge. In case you already have longcurtains, Just put

heater’s airflow. This also traps the heat in the window

the ends on the windowsill so that the window is still covered but not the heater. Just like with carpets and draft stoppers, you can easily order curtains online.

An alternative solution for covering your windows is metalized film foil, which will prevent losing thermal energy in your room to infrared radiation (IR). This material is very cheap so you can get it big enough to cover the entire wall on which the windows are. You can hang it onto the curtain rail so that the metalized side is facing towards your room, this way it will reflect the IR heat just about to escape back into your room. There is one downside to this idea, though.

I would like to compliment Judy, Rianne and Naomi for their great work for the Web Committee!

- Lianne

I want to thank the wonderful InFlow Committee for their amazing ideas and enthousiasm during the making of this Flowzine! - Isa

Your Most Heartwarming Compliments!

I am very proud of the Web Committee and all the hard work that they put in!

- Naomi

Inflation

In mid-2021, a worldwide increase in inflation began to show. Many countries, including the Netherlands, had inflation rates higher than they had been in decades. We can all feel the consequences of this, but what exactly are the causes, and what is the history behind inflation?

Let’s start at the beginning. Inflation refers to the rate of increase in prices over a certain period. When there’s a high inflation rate, this usually means that the overall cost of living has gone up. However, it can also be calculated more specifically, for example, the inflation on groceries. When there’s a high inflation rate, goods or services become more expensive.

High inflation rates can be caused by lacking monetary policies when prices go up and the value of a currency decreases. Other reasons can be problems with either supply or demand, or certain expectations working as a self-fulfilling prophecy, like organisations increasing the rent because they expect higher prices.

The recent increase in inflation rates has more than one cause. The pandemic made a big impact on the economy and caused global supply chains and shipments to slow down, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has an effect on oil, gas, fertilizer, and food prices.

1900

1914-1918

During the First World War, the normal supply chain was disrupted and tailored to the production of military goods. Transport also became more difficult, because ships set sail less often. Moreover, some governments made the decision to print more money to finance the military. This, however, made the worth of money drop and caused an increase in inflation.

1932

As a result of the Wall Street Crash in 1929, The Great Depression swept over Europe. This led to, for example, hyperinflation in Germany, where money was worth so little that it was used as wallpaper because that was cheaper than buying wallpaper itself.

2001

The introduction of the Euro as a currency led to a small increase in inflation. The harvest was also particularly bad this year, which caused an increase in the price of produce.

2021-2022

In the Netherlands, the inflation rate in December 2021 saw an increase in energy prices by 75%. The average inflation rate that year was the highest since 2003.

1975

2020

Parasocial relationships and their dangers

Parasocial relationships: although some of us might not recognize the term, it’s a phenomenon most, or even all of us are quite familiar with. In fact, it’s been around for decades.

What is a parasocial relationship?

A parasocial relationship can most easily be explained as a one-sided relationship. However, it goes much further than that. Such a relationship is one between a spectator and a performer, between an idol and the one idolizing. Even back in 1956, this was a topic of discussion. That year, Donald Horton and Richard Wohl wrote an article about this illusion of intimacy and its characteristics. Back then, they used people on television or the radio as examples. Horton and Wohl refer to them as ‘actors’, although they may just as well be playing themselves. By addressing the audience directly, these ‘actors’ create a bond with the spectators. People feel a false sense of intimacy.

This feeling can start to grow after repeated exposure to a celebrity and can start to feel like a friendship after a while. Identification with the celebrity plays a big part in this.

In the present

Nowadays, the phenomen on still exists, only in a different form. In fact, with the rise of social media, it’s gotten a lot more prominent in our daily lives. We have access to celebrities’ social media at all times, and there’s a world of content out there for us to consume. We feel connected to content creators through the screen because they seem to address us, but we don’t always fully realise that we’re just one drop in their ocean of viewers. Although interaction with our idols seems more tangible because of social media, this relationship is still a one-way street.

This, in theory, is not a bad thing. We enjoy someone’s content and call ourselves their fan, and that enjoyment is a good thing. It might even help people feel less lonely. The trouble starts with us not realizing what this relationship really is. We see this person almost as our friend, we become attached to them. This happens because content creators aim for this: they want their audience to feel close to them, and they want their fans to get attached. They make eye contact with us through our screens, maybe respond to some of our comments, and make it feel like they’re speaking directly to us. We start to feel like we know them – and we do, in a way.

Personas

But Horton and Wohl referred to these people as ‘actors’ for a reason. Most celebrities will be very different in person compared to how they act on social media or in public. They put up a persona because this is easier for us to understand and relate to them. A persona is dependable, we can count on them to act a certain way. The persona is what we start to get attached to and who we can identify with. We don’t get to know the person behind this, which is exactly why parasocial relationships aren’t real: the person we think we know is not an actual person, but rather a polished version of somebody’s actual personality. We don’t like to see the people we look up to show their bad qualities or be inconsistent. We got attached to a certain version of them and we want them to stay like that. These personas offer us exactly what we want: a continuous relationship, where the only possible changing factors are ourselves. We don’t only get a bond of intimacy; we get stability by being in such a relationship.

The dangers of parasocial relationships

This desire for intimacy and consistency is even more desired by socially isolated people. And this is where these relationships can get dangerous. When people have a big need for validation, they can start to look at their idols to get a sense of belonging and connection. We can get lost in this illusion. Parasocial relationships can evolve into obsessions, fed by our constant ability to use social media to keep an eye on our idols. We become dependent on our idols. The false sense of friendship we start to feel can make us neglect our actual social lives. For socially isolated people, their sense of loneliness can get even worse because of this.

In a more serious form, a parasocial relationship can make us feel a sense of entitlement. We might start to believe that we know this person – even better than other fans do, of course, because, in our minds, our relationship with them is more special and more real. In reality, the celebrity doesn’t owe us anything, but someone deep into this illusion won’t understand that. They might even go to extreme measures to get their attention and impress them. Even though people in a public positions put up a persona, celebrities are people in need of boundaries just like we are, and we cannot forget that.

Why Is Brabant

Attractive to Polish People?

Strolling through the streets of Tilburg, you might have noticed the presence of Polish people in the Netherlands. And when you look at the map of Eindhoven, you will see Polish supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, and even car mechanics and nail salons there. Over the past years, Poland has remained the country within the European Union with the highest number of workers active in the Dutch labor market by far, signi ficantly contributing to the economy of the Netherlands. In 2021 there were 25,096 Poles living in the Netherlands, with the majority being in the Brabant region.

history from World War II when Polish soldiers in General Maczek’s division liberated Breda. This led to this city located in North Brabant being recognized by every Pole living in the Netherlands.

Polish people here is not as dramatic as statistics show. Poles have been arriving in this country for a long time and they developed into two types of Polish immigrants in the Netherlands. The first group is those who move here temporarily with the main goal to earn and save some money and then return to Poland. The second group is those who are looking for a new and better life and thus stay longer in the Netherlands. That is why it’s them who often invest in learning the Dutch language and culture. Moreover, the difference in perception of both groups of Polish immigrants in the Netherlands can be very significant.

To sum up, the ultimate reason why so many Polish people are living in Brabant is probably a sequence of events which started with Poles coming to the Netherlands for seasonal jobs, with some of them staying longer/permanently and finding a proper stable job, and then wanting to create their own little communities in a foreign country. This cycle went on and on and led to Polish people creating more polish places like restaurants, supermarkets, etc., for other Poles to recreate the atmosphere of Poland and feel at home.