Digital Society

Why did you choose to study Digital Society in Maastricht?

“When I made the decision about which bachelor’s degree I wanted to do, I first asked myself: “What is the job I want to do?” That’s where I started. Eventually, I want to be a UX designer. That job entails a lot of things I enjoy doing already. I have an urge to create things and I am obsessed with technology. I choose to study in Maastricht because of the central location in Europe and because it is very international. Coming from a small island, Fuerteventura, it was a big change!”

What do you enjoy most about your studies?

“What I like about Digital Society is that it is very interdisciplinary. It provides me with an ethical perspective about things that are happening right now. For example, when ChatGPT came out, we discussed it in class immediately. We spoke about things like: how will it affect us all in society? How can we use it as a tool for progress instead of just entertainment?”

“What is really different from my high school experience, is that I actually look forward to going to class. In one of the classes, we tried to make an algorithm. I didn’t succeed in class, so I went home to solve the issue myself. My classmates did the same. I feel all of my classmates are very motivated and that stimulates me a lot, really.”

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In my third year, I would like to do an internship at a company where I can learn more about UX, like Intel, Tesla or Meta. And after that I would like to do a master’s in New Media Design. And then I hope to become a UX designer, combining creativity and technology.

Anne-Sophie Oppor studied the bachelor’s programme Digital Society in the first cohort starting in 2019 and finishing in 2022.

She told us that the programme was very much in its testing phase throughout the first run, and that it was unique partly to that but also because it was one of the few programs available in the Netherlands and also internationally that focuses on digital ethics. “There was a lot of flexibility in shaping one’s own studies topic-wise and adapt it to contemporary developments and discussion in the tech world.”

Anne-Sophie is currently pursuing a master’s programme at Maastricht University, focusing on the media studies perspective of digital cultures and digital societies. She stated: “I chose to do so to get a more specialised and narrowed perspective when approaching socio-technical and socio-political issues.”

When we asked her how she looks back on her time in Maastricht, she said: “Looking back at my time in Maastricht I feel like I have lived at least four separate lives. Every year looks different, learning and growing as an academic but also as a person had me change my hopes and dreams more than once (should I become a lawyer instead, maybe I should work for the army, do I want to be a freelance artist?). Evidently, I did not do any of these things (yet), but I chose to do a minor in international law to get a feeling for it, I did some extracurricular activities to do creative work, and focused on the military throughout my bigger projects in courses to explore the field more. Looking back, I really miss and cherish my Bachelor time. It was messy but so rewarding and I found friends for life that I still see and visit all the time.”

She also told us a bit more about her student life in Maastricht: “My student life in Maastricht was limited for a while (a long while) due to the pandemic, so the classic activities like going out, studying together, celebrating birthdays etc. weren’t part for a large part of the first two years. It was the biggest relief when everything opened up again during our 3rd year and we could experience what it’s like to go out in Maastricht, eat bitterballen, study at FASoS and see our tutors in real life, and meet people from other faculties and countries.”

After the master’s programme Anne-Sophie is hoping to find an internship and test out her knowledge in practice; “I’d love to go into media production like film making, or, completely different, check out the Dutch army since both my final theses address technological change in the battlefield.”

Lastly, we asked her how the bachelor’s programme in Digital Society prepared her for the master’s programme. She replied: “The bachelor’s programme prepared me well for the master’s programme in terms of methodologies used in the social sciences, as well as the familiarisation with theories and concepts.”