New article on the NHS COVID app in The Conversation

Our latest piece published on The Conversation website

The NHS COVID app is closing down – here’s where it succeeded and where it went wrong

Tweet

Follow @evronia

New article on surveillance at work in The Conversation

I just got my article on "surveillance at work" published today in The Conversation

"Remote working has led to managers spying more on staff – here are three ways to curb it"

My general interest in surveillance technologies and methods is my motive behind writing this, in hope that it brings more awareness about all the various ways in which surveillance is practiced. More importantly, we need to also note that surveillance can have differential effects on the vast population of home workers, and is very likely worsening vulnerability and marginalisation for those who are already struggling.

Tweet

Follow @evronia

All I Want for Christmas Is “Tech-Savvy”!

When I was a kid, my parents would hide something under my pillow for Christmas and the New Year, claiming it was Santa’s gift. But it didn’t take me too long to know it was them, and I actually started making a list of what I wanted! My first most expensive gift I asked for was a desktop computer in 1998, but I had to work really hard to get it. While desktop computers are probably not a gift-able thing in 2019, there is a rise of very tech-savvy gifts that appeal to many people now. With the holiday and New Year season approaching, everyone is probably thinking of “gifts”! So, I thought of writing this post about how the digital world changed the concept of gifts.

While some people still like traditional physical gifts, there are dozens of online websites that give people ideas on “online” gifts. This includes the simple ideas of e-vouchers, e-gift-cards, to other more tech-savvy ideas like a service subscription for websites like Netflix, Spotify, Amazon music, or you can buy digital products like e-books and mobile applications.

Photo by Deva Darshan on Unsplash

Online digital gifts may have apparent advantages over traditional gifts. For example, they are hassle-free to buy, as you don’t need to get into crowds of shoppers and cashier lines during the weekend. This type of gifts also give the receiver flexibility to choose how they want to use it, so for example they may watch whatever movies they prefer on Netflix in comparison to giving them cinema tickets for a specific movie. Also, online gifts can be more environmentally friendly, so an e-book is indeed better than a paperback book.

Nevertheless, the previous options aren’t everyone’s straight forward choice. Many people still prefer to hold a physical gift. It probably depends on the person receiving the gift: how old they are and their interests and preferences. It is definitely something worth researching or exploring more! A quick Google Scholar research on “online gifts” didn’t really show results that explain consumers’ behaviour towards online versus traditional gifts.

Another important question is: to what extents are gifts considered “online”? For example, if you gift someone a Groupon e-voucher for a fancy meal, it is a gift that is booked and redeemed in the online space but it results in a physical experience of a restaurant. So, while it is still an online-mediated gift, it is not an online product. Also, if you buy an e-voucher through Amazon, the receiver can use this voucher to buy e-books (which are an online product) or clothes!

So, do you actually like to receive a traditional physical gift, or do you prefer any of the above options? And as a buyer, what do you actually prefer? For me, I spend a lot of time choosing gifts for people, because I feel gifts have to match their personalities. So, I like engraved items with people’s names, or I hunt for stuff that they have been trying to buy for some time. However, sometimes I don’t know the person I am buying the gift for well, so I opt-in for easier gifts. In that case gift vouchers are a life saver. But will people appreciate it as much as a big box wrapped in Christmas colours wrap?

In asking the previous questions, I am also asking if the online space has removed some of the excitement from gifting behaviours, especially for those who aren’t really that much into tech-savvy stuff or who maybe prefer to be surprised with a physical product in their hands. So, would I prefer to go hunt for my desktop computer online or in shops or to have it there at home waiting for me? 

 

Tweet

Follow @evronia

أفكار مبعثرة خارج السرب.. بين ميّسر وملقن للتعليم

اتعلمنا في مجتمعاتنا الشرقية المحافظة إن العيب والحرام والصح والغلط هما خطوط عريضة لا تقبل النقاش

فيه تابوهات ماينفعش نكسرها في الدين والعادات والتقاليد

الفكر المينستريم واضح ومعروف للكل

طب واللي بيقرر يغرد بره السرب؟

عندي شوية أفكار متبعترة عن ازاي بنتعلم وبنفكر..

من سنة بديت أدرس طريقة تدريس الطلبة الجامعيين وكنت في البداية متحمسة أتعلم ازاي "أوصل المعلومة" زي أي مدرس عايز يبقى شاطر.

فاجئونا إن مش دورنا كمدرسين نوصل أو نلقن معلومات، لكن "نيسر" على الطلبة إنهم يتعلموا. بمعنى اننا نسهل لهم العملية التعليمية، مانديهمش المعلومة في المعلقة، لكن نعلمهم ازاي يوصلوا للمعلومة اللي تناسبهم بنفسهم وبطريقتهم. والكلام ده ينطبق على اللي بيدرس علوم اجتماعية أو بيولوجية أو أي حاجة. طبعا ده نابع من اننا مفروض نعلم الدارسين ونشجعهم على التفكير النقدي، إن لازم الطالب يتعلم الرأي والرأي الآخر ويعرف يجادل ويكوّن رأيه الخاص ويبرر هو ليه اختاره، ويعضد رأيه بأسس منطقية مش يقول هو كدة وخلاص.. . مفيش مسلّمات، لكن في مدارس فكرية وأيدولوجيات. حتى في البحث العلمي في العلوم الاجتماعية، الباحث بيجاوب على سؤال "إيه وليه وإزاي" الحاجة بتحصل في المجتمع. اللي بيغرد بره السرب بنقوله برافو، احنا عايزينك تطور من ده وتكمل. اللي بيغرد زي السرب بنقوله انك ماعندكش فكرك المستقل وحاول تطوره.

طول عمري باحب أفكر بطريقة مختلفة وأخلي اللي حواليا كمان يفكروا.. اختلاف طريقتي في التفكير جاية من طريقة تربيتي، وجاية من تمردي على الناس اللي بتحاول تسيطر على فكري. الأصعب هو انك تقنع الناس تفكر.

أحيانا باتضايق من نفسي، إني كثيرة الاصطدام بالقطيع، زي اللي بيحاول يقول إن الأرض كروية وسط كل اللي بيقولوا إن الأرض مسطحة. بس باقعد أفكر هل أنا ليا دور في إني أقول للقطيع يفكر؟ ولا المفروض ألاقي طريقة أقنع بيها القطيع إن الأرض كروية؟ ولا أقلب عليهم الطرابيزة وأتشتم وأمشي؟

من فترة كنت بأصدم الناس في قناعاتها وعاداتها وتابوهاتها المسلم بيها. التعليم بالصدمة، إنك تكشف للي قدامك انه خبط في حيطة. في الأغلب لقيت إن الطريقة دي بتخلي الناس تنفر أكتر.

بدل من الصدمة، قررت أسأل اللي قدامي من كلامه. مثلا، لو حد قاللي "انتي مش مفروض تاكلي لحمة؟"، فبدل ما اصدمه وأقوله "الأكل حرية شخصية ومش من حقك تلقنني و..و.."، أسأله، وأقوله "ليه هو إيه المشكلة إني أكل لحمة، هل في حاجة بتقول مفروض أكل إيه أو لا؟"

أدركت إن التفكير هو الهدف مش المعلومة، عملية التفكير نفسها بتظهر الإنسان قدام نفسه: لو هو فعلا باني فكره على أسس منطقية، هايعرف يعبر عن قناعاته وازاي وصل لها.... لو هو صريح مع نفسه مش بيهرب، وماعرفش يلاقي سبب لقناعاته، هايلاقي إن فكره ضحل، مالهوش أساس، مجرد مشي وراء القطيع اللي بيعمل كل حاجة لأن الباقي "المينستريم" بيعملها كده.

بس هل احنا اصلا مجتمعات صريحة مع نفسها؟ أكيد لا. الصراحة مع النفس بتيجي لما نفكر وإحنا مش عايزين، وخايفين نفكر وننفتح على أفكار تانية. الأفكار التانية هاتجبرنا نرد ونناقش واحنا ماعندناش القدرة وماتربيناش على المناقشة. المناقشات عادة بتنتهي باتهامات شخصية، وشتائم، وشخصنة الاختلافات.

احنا بنعيش في مجتمع كل واحد فيه مؤمن ومقتنع اقتناع تام انه يملك الحقيقة المطلقة عن كل حاجة. رغم ان معلوماتنا وتعليمنا ضحل بس برضه الحقايق كلها بنمتلكها، ولو حاسين ان في حاجات ناقصانا، فاحنا حرفيا بنصدق أي حاجة بيقولوهالنا "شخصيات" معينة في المؤسسات المجتمعية، سواء شخصيات اعلامية أو دينية أو غيره. لدرجة ان الجيل الأكبر بقى بيصدق كل حاجة تتكتب ع الفيسبوك، حتى لو قروا ان هياتم قررت ترشح نفسها لرئاسة الجمهورية، هايدوسوا لايك ويعملوا شير ويبعتوا ده لكل اللي يعرفوه.

في أخبار صح وأخبار غلط، بس مفيش قناعات صح وقناعات غلط، مفيش طريقة حياة صح وطريقة غلط... كل واحد يفهم حياته بالمنطق اللي هو شايفه، بس المهم يعرف أسبابه كويس، ويكشفها قدام نفسه، وينام مرتاح. مش متأكدة في الوقت الحالي إذا لازم يكون لينا دور ناحية القطيع في تفويقه من التغييب، بس متأكدة إن لينا دور ناحية نفسنا إننا لو بنفكر، مانفقدش الإيمان بأفكارنا مهما كانت غريبة ع الكوكب كله. في الأول وفي الآخر، القطيع لا يصنع التغيير، لأن التغيير دايما بتصنعه أقلية مرفوضة من المجتمع والتاريخ يشهد.

مصادر الصور – أندرو جورج

Tweet

Follow @evronia

How Academia Is Slowly Becoming Exclusive for the Rich Only..

Of course the only way to get an academic job is to get a PhD. Without a scholarship, a PhD is too expensive for middle-class students, especially those who come from developing countries. In the UK for example, if you come from UK/EU, you can work and study to make ends meet. But for international students, the fees are triple, so scholarships are a must.

But that’s just the beginning of the story. As you go through the PhD, you face barriers on your work-hours limit as an international student, and hence on the income you can make, and the jobs you can do. Besides, you will need money to travel to your home country to see your family, or to go on vacations, which become a luxury as they are too expensive for you to afford. The lack of social activity plus all the pressure the PhD puts on you increase the mental health problems you are prone to. It is claimed that

“One in two PhD students experiences psychological distress; one in three is at risk of a common psychiatric disorder.” (Levecque et al., 2017)

So the PhD becomes a social and a financial burden, and a challenge to go through once you decide you really want to stay in academia, because in addition to your personal needs, you have all the academic needs of: going to conferences to make connections, and extending your PhD until you can publish some research that gets you a job, which means living off your parents’ money for a while until you get a postdoc or a permanent position. All this needs money. The PhD visa alone nowadays costs a fortune, and you have to get a visa for every single conference or trip. You even can't extend your PhD student visa beyond 4 years in the UK unless you have a really good reason for that, so you have to make sure you finish your PhD on time, but how can you do this, given all these interconnected various challenges? 

All these challenges even make you wonder if academia is really fair. But just like anything else in the world isn’t, why should academia be different?

Maybe academia should be different because we talk about research to create a positive impact for the world, because the developed world spends millions to stay in fancy places to talk about eradicating poverty, because we talk about ethics and equal opportunities all the time in academic institutions, and because very pragmatically, we need researchers from different parts of the world who have access and can speak languages, in order to conduct research that brings funds to institutions!

So, very selfishly speaking, the world needs researchers from different parts of the world. However, the reality means that you need a lot of MONEY, in addition to patience, perseverance, support, super mental power, and continuous brain activity… in order to finish a PhD, let alone continuing in an academic career.

It is up to institutions to decide if research degrees are really worth it or not, and start being more inclusive and accommodating, but we all know that the world isn’t so rosy, because simply, if it were, I wouldn’t be writing this post and you wouldn’t be reading it…

Adios!  

Tweet

Follow @evronia

Aaaand the Winner of the 3-Minute Thesis Competition is...

On 23rd of March 2017, I took part in the first ever 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition held at Royal Holloway, for PhD students across different disciplines. We were a total of 7 PhD students, competing to explain our thesis in only three minutes to general audience, using one slide of powerpoint. Aaaand the Winner of the 3-Minute Thesis Competition is... ME!

Being as competitive as I have always been, I like competitions, A LOT! And now since I’m doing my PhD, I like academic competitions because they look nice on my portfolio, help me network, boost my self-confidence, and bring me some extra money as well :) Sometimes the money comes as a first motivator, but it’s fair (because we’re students!), isn’t it? :) 

This competition was first developed by the University of Queensland in Australia. It helps students unwrap their complex and specialist research into simple, yet not trivial, ideas that anyone can understand.

The 6 other colleagues who competed were all so competitive. I guess I was lucky that I won the first place among such a smart group of PhD researchers who were really doing amazing work. 

For me, it helped me make sure that a wider community, beyond academia, have the ability to understand and appreciate my research. I think this competition was a much needed boost of confidence to my PhD, which sometimes become a very tiring project, just like all the other PhDs in the world! Haha.. 

This photo is with the judging panel and Claire, from the Department of History, who won the second place.

This photo is with the judging panel and all of the students who competed in the competition. 

Photos are from RHUL’s students intranet website. 

Tweet

Follow @evronia

[Blog Post for #RHUL] SoM Students at the Emerge Conference!

A blog post I wrote for Royal Holloway's School of Management Student Experience Blog, on the Emerge Conference 2016, to which I accompanied a group of the brightest undergraduate students from the School.

read the post here:

SoM Students at the Emerge Conference!

excerpts from the post:

On the 12th and 13th of November 2016, undergraduate students from the School of Management at the Royal Holloway attended the Emerge Conference at Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

The conference is mainly directed towards future or early career social entrepreneurs. This year, it was attended by international audience that consists of students, early career professionals, entrepreneurs, and representatives from different organizations, who all have one thing in common: passion for making the world a more responsible place, socially and environmentally.

......

We all enjoyed the conference’s content, interactions, and listening to novel ideas. The best part that was most inspirational to students was having lunch with the conference’s speakers, where they got a chance to talk, ask and discuss their ideas and get feedback. They were very enthusiastic, and seized the opportunity for learning and networking.

Overall, we are very proud that students at Royal Holloway have passion for making the world a better place. More importantly, we aim to encourage this passion by making inspirational events, like the Emerge Conference and others, part of the students’ learning experience.

Tweet

Follow @evronia

[Blog Post for #RHULSust] On Humanity, Poverty & Measurements

A blog post I co-authored for the Royal Holloway Sustainability blog #RHULSust, on the development talk by Sabina Alkire at CumberlandLodge, that took place on 23 November 2015.

On Humanity, Poverty & Measurements

excerpts:

"On Monday 23rd of November 2015, we attended a Cumberland Conversation event with Professor Sabina Alkire at Cumberland Lodge. Sabina directs the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), and has worked extensively on multidimensional poverty measurement and analysis, founded mainly on the Capability Approach and concepts of human development. OPHI aims to promote diverse voices on poverty, focusing on the importance of measurements, which help prioritise poverty in politicians’ agendas.

.........

However, the MPI methodology and numbers were not the only things we learned from the Cumberland Conversation. It was inspiring for us, as young researchers ourselves, to see how impactful research can be on the ground, and how humanitarian research can be. Despite barriers to data collection, funding, and lack of data in certain areas, research can still hold a global vision and be used for the welfare and development of each and every citizen of the world."

Tweet

Follow @evronia

My Presentation at the Chevening Leadership Conference - Durham University

As part of the Chevening 30th Anniversary Scholar Conference on "Leadership and Change in the 21st Century" held at Durham University on April 25, 2014, my presentation is titled "PowerLife Mobile Application".

Abstract  

PowerLife is an idea for a mobile application designed for the Information Systems course “IT and Service Innovation” at LSE by a group of 5 students. The application seeks to draw attention to energy issues that government might not publish by collecting samples and engaging citizens to be proactive in this data collection.

PowerLife helps citizens to have their say on the energy problems they face and be proactive in pushing their governments to take action. It also aims to assist relevant NGOs in their work to campaign for the ultimate solution of these issues. The platform is meant to give a voice to citizens and empower them. It also gives citizens a space to promote favourable behaviours that help save energy. We consider infrastructure to be a basic right for citizens of any country and we seek to fill the gaps that the public, private, and third sectors sometimes fail to address. The application seeks to show geographic distribution of energy outages and trends in times of day/year when electricity is most vulnerable. It will be targeted towards regions where energy issues are common and interrupt daily life.

PowerLife could fill a need in the ICT for development sphere, especially as the popularity of Ushahidi - which we will be basing the application on - continues to grow. Crowdsourcing can be used to report and view data, which is normally difficult to source or find, related to violence, sexual assault, crime, riots, displacement, traffic and, now, infrastructure. It puts citizens at the front and center of the issues their communities are facing directly. We hope that, through this visibility, local, national, and international attention can be drawn to persistent, meaningful problems and, ultimately, that solutions can be enacted.

PowerLife mobile and web applications mock ups

Tweet

Follow @evronia