Impact Magazine 262nd Innovation & Evolution Edition

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Biometrics: How Far Should We Go?

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The Changing Face of News

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Technological Doping: The Sportswear That Makes and Breaks Sports

IMPACT INNOVATION AND EVOLUTION EDITION

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A letter from the.....

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & PRINT EDITOR

Front cover and current page illustrations by Katherine Gomes Front cover photograph by Nina Shasha

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Hello and welcome to the fifth and final issue of Impact for the 2019-20 academic year!

While some of us will continue our studies here, others, including both of us, will be graduating this summer. Completing our university careers under such strange circumstances has been difficult to come to terms with; there is a shared longing for the annual balls, boat parties, last lectures and long-awaited graduation ceremonies that seem to have slipped through our fingers. It feels as though we have been thrust prematurely into “the rest of our lives”. However, instead of ruminating on the disappointment and fears for the future, it is important to celebrate all that we have achieved this year, navigating the turmoil and disruption of a global pandemic.

Whilst this print issue’s theme of innovation and evolution was decided prior to the UK’s lockdown, it now seems even more apt that the edition explores how the world is changing around us and how we are adapting as we take the next step in our lives.

As the world faces an influx of media communications, Impact News explores how the public’s consumption of news has changed in Aidan Hall’s thoughtful article. Mia Haffety investigates the link between the climate crisis and gender, researching the marketisation of green products. Francesca Hadland addresses the pervasiveness of artificial intelligence and its potential for humanity, whilst Gareth Holmes writes on the capacity of universities as sites of cutting-edge research and innovation.

In Impact Features, Lauren Winson shares her personal story about how the university environment can stimulate individual growth. Niamh Robinson’s insightful article explores the lack of women on the Forbes World’s Billionaires list, suggesting how the gender disparity can be addressed. Katy Skillen offers ideas and advice for graduates entering the workforce; and Isabelle Raikes encourages us to follow our creative ambitions, considering the hardships faced by entrepreneurs before successfully establishing their businesses.

In Impact Lifestyle, Lilith Hudson and Phoebe Raine explore the evolution of fashion and predictions for its future.

Alice Nott covers the history and development of fusion food and our writers take a look at technological innovation: Thomas Gregory argues the safety and effectiveness of driverless cars; Rian Patel examines augmented and virtual reality in the travel industry; and Kit Sinclair investigates the possibilities of biometrics in an informative yet startling article.

Impact Entertainment explores the digitisation of the arts from publishing to digital storytelling and VR. Annabel D’Monte delves into the technological innovations that changed cinema, and Netflix’s experimentation with reality TV. Daisy Forster investigates the evolution of Nintendo’s 40-year dominance in the family console market; and Charlotte Evans discusses the changing world of live music.

In Impact Sport, Ben Ofungwu questions the connection between sports stars and fans due to social media. He also discusses the effect that technology has played in sports. James Hurman delves into a 100 year history of tactical evolution in English football, and its place in the world game. Joe Johnson weighs up the pros and cons of the contentious Video Assistant Referee in the English Premier League. Maya Israel investigates the phenomenon of ‘technological doping’ as athletes seek to gain advantages in any way possible, including through their equipment.

What a whirlwind it has been, from Freshers to COVID lockdown and everything in between. During this challenging time, we hope that this edition of Impact acts as both a distraction and a reminder of the positive ways our world is evolving alongside questioning where we should be focusing our efforts. We’d like to give a massive thank you to all of our writers, editors and designers who have brought our print issues to life this year!

We wish next year’s team the best of luck and can’t wait to see how Impact will evolve.

Happy reading and we hope you stay safe and well.

Katie Moncur and James Hurman

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS NEWS 5 Artifical Intelligence - Hinderer of Humanity or a Helping Hand?

6 The Changing Face of News 8 Innovation and Mitigating Financial Crisis 9 The Geopolitics of Covid-19: A Green Lining 10 The Unnatural Nature of Social Distancing 11 Mind the Eco Gender Gap 12 Universities as Modern Hubs of Innovation

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F E AT U R E S 14 My Evolution Through University 15 It’s Time to Climb the Career Ladder... but How to Take the First Step?

16 A Crisis of Female Innovation: Where are all the Self-Made Femal Billionaires?

18 Has the Digital Age Helped us with Covid-19?

20 We’re on a Road to...The Sky? 21 Don’t Cancel your Creativity 22 Do University Degrees Encourage Innovation and Creativity?

23 ‘Normal’ Life... can we have it back?

24 Barbie: Contemporary Feminist Heroine?

30 The Evolution of Fashion 31 The Future of Fashion 32 Driverless Cars will Dominate Every Rural Road - I’ll Believe it when I See it.

34 Is a Virus Outbreak Like Covid-19 Preventable?

35 Debunking GM Food Myths 36 The Evolution of Fusion Foods: The Good, The E N T E R TA I N M E N T Bad and The Ugly 37 AR and VR: Transforming the Travel Industry 39 The Electronic Evolution of the Publishing 38 Biometrics: How Far Should We Go? Industry 40 Is Going Digital the Future of The Arts? Interview with Dr. SpencerJordan 42 Innovations that Transformed Cinema 44 Netflix: Innovation in Reality TV 45 Nintendo and the Evolution of the Family SPORT Console 46 The Show Must Go On: The Evolution of Live Music Over Time 47 Our Favourite Sports Stars are now Closer than Ever. Is This a Good Thing?

48 A Step too VAR? 49 How much has Technology affected Sports?

50 Tecnological Doping: The Sportswear the Makes and Breaks Sports EXTRAS 52 Game Changers: The Tactical Evolution of English Football 54 Impact in Isolation 56 Black Lives Matter 59 The Team

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – HINDERER OF HUMANITY OR A HELPING HAND? It seems like every day that we are told about the ever-increasing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI). But do these technological advances mean that we are facing down the barrel of an AI doomsday, as Hollywood likes us to imagine? Or, can AI help us reach new heights like no other tool in human history?

When you think of artificial intelligence (AI), a lot of things may spring to mind; the 2001 movie starring Jude Law and Haley Joel Osment; Siri, Alexa, Google, or perhaps robots taking over the world. But to define artificial intelligence properly, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, it is ‘the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decisionmaking, and translation between languages.’

Hey Siri... Turn on the lights AI is a part of our lives pretty much every day. At its most basic level, you can find it in your Gmail inbox, giving you reply suggestions, email filters and nudging reminders, as well as in household devices such as the Amazon Echo, Google Home and simply your phone (there’s a Snapchat feature that solves equations!). Like most technology and scientific advancement, AI is rapidly developing and its use in more formal settings such as governments, security, energy and across various organisations, is rising dramatically as the technology becomes even more advanced. But what are the implications of AI into our future?

“Many figureheads in science and technology, such as Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking, have expressed concerns at the risks posed by AI” Here’s Hoping Robots Don’t Take Over the World It’s important to acknowledge the importance of AI safety. Recently, many figureheads in science and technology, such as

image: http://vidya-gaweshana.blogspot.com/2017/05/artificialintelligence_3.html

Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking, have expressed concerns at the risks posed by AI because the technology has the potential to become more intelligent than humans, and we have no certain way of predicting how it will behave if it does.

Though most researchers agree that a super-intelligent AI is unlikely to develop human emotions such as love and hate or become intentionally malevolent, there are two scenarios in which AI might become a risk. Firstly, AI could be programmed to do something devastating when charged with weapons or intelligence systems.

Alternatively, AI could develop a destructive method to achieve the goal set by its programmer. Both scenarios are concerned with the competence of AI rather than its ‘decision’ to turn against humanity; it’s therefore important that AI’s goals are aligned with those of humans when it is tasked to work towards them.

“It is inevitable that in years to come AI will enjoy a presence in more and more areas of our lives” Today and Into The Future From the most simplistic changes to our everyday lives, such as eliminating the necessity to carry out tedious tasks, to next generation disaster response technology where AI can detect the vulnerabilities of an area through real-time data of disasters around the globe, it is inevitable that in years to come AI will enjoy a presence in more and more areas of our lives. Already today, AI is aiding wildlife conservation in the ‘Snapshot Serengeti’ project where motion-sensitive cameras are being used to automatically photograph wild animals, providing massive amounts of data and saving 17,000 hours of manual labour with a 96.6% accuracy level. With careful monitoring and responsible use, AI therefore has the potential to significantly help humanity and our world into the future.

Francesca Hadland Page Design by Beth Dunnett

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“Unchecked and unimpeded, social media has become a breeding ground for false news and political advertising”

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It seems we are in the midst of one of the biggest changes in media and journalism since the invention of the printing press.

Gone are the days of waiting for your news until you picked up a newspaper on the way to work.

News is now fast, flashy and often hyperbolic. So, as social media solidifies its position as a mainstream news source, many are asking the question: what are the consequences of this mighty change?

The shift of social media from a means for news consumption to an end has indeed had radical implications, most notably the plethora of fabricated news stories that now circulate the web. Recently, within the political sphere, social media has facilitated the spread of fake political advertisements, particularly in the United States.

In late 2019, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg came

The Ch Face of under fire after he defended the company’s decision to not take down political advertising that contains false information saying, “I just think that in a democracy, people should be able to see for themselves what politicians are saying.”

Since, Zuckerberg’s stance has been tested when Adriel Hampton, running for Governor of California, decided to create and circulate false Facebook advertisements showing Republican Senator Lindsay Graham supporting the Green New Deal - an obvious falsity.

Months later, the severity of this kind of social media fakery was exposed further when none other than Donald Trump shared a doctored clip of political opponent Joe Biden endorsing the President. Trump took down the post within a few hours, but the tweet had already reached millions and the damage was done. Evidently, Facebook is at the centre of this change and according to Reuters Institute, “remains by far the most important social network for news.”

However, in recent years, private messaging apps have enjoyed a burst in popularity, particularly in the global South. Chief among the rising messaging apps is WhatsApp. The encrypted messaging service has become the primary private messaging network for discussing and sharing news in countries like Brazil, Malaysia and South Africa, where reliable information is often in short supply and public institutions are more fragile. Reuters also

hanging f News found that people in these countries are far more likely to be part of large WhatsApp groups with people they don’t know – a worrying trend that suggests how messaging apps can be used to easily share information on large scales and at a rapid pace, potentially encouraging the spread of misinformation.

“One can be a skeptic without being a cynic”

It is no doubt that social media was not designed to be a platform for news, and it is for this reason that fakery has run rife on it. Unchecked and unimpeded, social media has become a breeding ground for false news and political advertising.

Rampant misinformation, fake political advertisements and dangerous chain messages; no wonder Reuters found that

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consumers rated social media as the form of news media least likely to be accurate, trustworthy and impartial. In fact, on average, 55% of people worry about being able to identify what is real and what’s false on the internet in general.

Concern is highest in Brazil (85%) and South Africa (70%), correlating rather conveniently with those countries that use WhatsApp most intensely.

The link between the rise in the popularity of social media news and an erosion of public trust is underresearched in political science, and thus tenuous at best. However, ostensibly, it can’t be denied that there is a correlation between the two. In addition, the causal chain makes sense: people are being exposed to more fake news and misinformation, leading them to grow more suspicious of the veracity of what they read online.

So, where does this leave social media and news going into the future? As Nobel Prize winning physicist Neils Bohr quipped, “it is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.”

Predicting, in fact, is such a difficult task that the only fruit that can be reasonably expected from its exercise is the inevitable feeling of embarrassment when one’s prediction is shown wrong.

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“The shift of social media from a means for news consumption to an end has indeed had radical implications” at a price, and evidence suggests that most people remain reluctant to pay. However, Reuters found that there was a 26% increase from their study last year in respondents saying that they are relying on ‘more reputable’ news sources. In addition, new players in the market are also emerging such as De Correspondent and Tortoise Media, who are promising to counteract the growing lack of deeper analysis and meaningful content.

Although how we read our news is always changing, social media seems like it’s here to stay - at least for a little while. Perhaps, then, we ought to stop waiting for news to become how we’d like it to be and make some changes ourselves.

Crucially, not being afraid of being skeptical of news you see on social media. After all, one can be a skeptic without being a cynic. Think Socrates, not Eeyore.

Aidan Hall

Page Design by Shiyun Xiang

Nevertheless, here’s one anyway: in general, the future looks bleak.

As more of us read our news for free, traditional media outlets are having to change their business models by erecting pay walls to ensure their survival. As a result, much of the high quality, slower and deeper analysed news comes Image coursey of Unsplash.com

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Innovation and Mitigating Financial Crisis

With a nation of workers forced into furloughing, redundancy and disarray by a ruthless pandemic, the global economy has taken an equally devastating hit. Whilst government’s internationally have taken steps to mitigate the consequences, the future of the economy and job security is deeply uncertain and in the hands of a virus that seems to be showing no remorse.

On the 28th March, Kristalina Georgieva, the Chief of the International Monetary Fund, announced that the world was projected to enter economic recession. In short, this year the Covid-19 pandemic has overturned the global economy. Despite this, she believes that the economy will soon rebound as long as the appropriate fiscal and monetary policies are implemented. However, other economists like David Blanchflower and David Bell disagree, asserting that the ‘levels of unemployment are likely to be beyond anything in living memory.’

Moreover, Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University predicts the worst global crash in ‘over 100 years’.

Free market thinkers see innovation as the route out of crises. Take the current Covid-19 pandemic: policy makers and politicians are, to a degree, relying on innovations in medicine and medical technology to solve this crisis. The development of a vaccine may take up to a year and a half and, as far as the economy is concerned, the jury is still out on how it will cope with these ramifications. Following the 2007/2008 financial crisis, we saw this innovation in the form of the British government bailing out the banks, bringing them into public ownership and ostensibly, making the blow to the bankers a collective blow to the public.

Of course, this did ensure people could go to the banks and withdraw money but it still came at a price to the public. A price we are paying for now as years of austerity, part-privatisation, and cuts from successive governments have put the NHS in an incredibly vulnerable position in the face of the biggest pandemic of the century. Job losses and wage stagnation are two of the many ways working people are footing the bill for

businesses in crises. This time round, redundancies in the airline industries were the first signs of rising unemployment. Now, Government plans to support workers, both contracted and selfemployed, with packages of up to £2,500 a month show some hope that the burdens of this economic crisis will not fall on the labour force. However, there are gaps in these plans which were poignantly pointed out by Nottingham East MP, Nadia Whittome in a letter to the Chancellor of Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP.

“Small businesses in Nottingham East have not been able to commit to placing their staff on furlough due to a lack of guaranteed government funding” Several of her constituents, for example, have been unable to access furlough pay through the Job Retention Scheme because they began new jobs after the 28th February, and have subsequently had to identify new employment to mitigate uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. Moreover, government funding. Finally, Whittome represents constituents who have been self-employed for under a year and do not have a tax return for 2018/19. This leaves them ineligible for financial support, and demonstrates yet another way in which workers in Nottingham and across the country are being hit by the announced recession.

Ellie Stainforth-Mallison and George Sullivan Page Design by Shiyun Xiang

Image courtesy of unsplash.com

“Almost a million people have applied for universal credit in the past two weeks alone”

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The Geopolitics of Covid-19: A Green Lining

Inoculable, unforgiving and utterly relentless, Covid-19 has thrown every aspect of modern life into furious disarray, but could this crippling virus’s silver (or green) lining be its repercussions for the climate crisis? Or will efforts to restore business as usual drive a new surge of carbon emissions, fear and international distrust?

“In tourist honey traps like Venice, the results are as clear as the canals”

From business as usual to a planet in panic; a mere matter of months and a virus of far-reaching and devastating proportions has seen contemporary life turned ruthlessly on its head. Since emerging in the city of Wuhan in December 2019, Covid-19 has rendered the city’s streets deserted after Chinese authorities implemented a strict lockdown. In Italy, the most extensive travel restrictions are in place since World War Two, and the normally bustling pubs, bars and theatres of London have been closed, and the public bound to their homes.

But as industries, transport networks and businesses grind to a halt, In China alone, emissions fell by 25% at the start of the year as people were instructed to stay at home, and as factories shuttered, coal use fell by 40% at China’s six largest power plants since the last quarter of 2019. A similar story is playing out in Europe, as satellite images show nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions waning over northern Italy, Spain and the UK. In tourist honey traps like Venice, the results are as clear as the canals, where sediment has been allowed to rest for the first time in 60 years and dolphins have even been spotted bathing in the crystal waterways.

“The coronavirus outbreak has seen widespread changes in human behaviour, encouraging companies to alter everyday operations by suggesting employees work from home, which is reducing congestion and enhancing air

“A sudden drop in global carbon emissions stipulates a sense of positivity amongst pandemonium”

quality”, notes John Bryson, Professor of Enterprise and Economic Geography at the University of Birmingham. In times of crisis, time-worn social institutions are put to the test and normal practices called into question, which can lead to the emergence of new power relations, daily routines, and resource distribution.

The pandemic has provided first-hand testimony to the effect that closed factories, cancelled conferences, postponed sporting events, and limitations on freedom of movement can have on carbon emissions, and could therefore have the potential to catalyse global climate reform.

Not only have attempts to control the virus led to a reduction in carbon emissions, they have also led to a significant shift in the way individuals, institutions and politicians discuss social responsibility. Ideals of intergenerational equity, the collective good and making sacrifices to protect the vulnerable have reappeared in political discourse, and perhaps, once the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, governments may be ready to bring that wisdom to bear on the crisis of climate change. If such institutions can take extreme actions to cancel sports seasons, shut down workplaces, and restrict movement, surely they can take similarly drastic steps to change how we produce and consume energy?

Like Covid-19, climate change relies on collective action; each ton of greenhouse gas, like each unnecessary venture outside, contributing equally to the problem, no matter where in the world it is instigated. Thus, whilst it is likely that emissions will skyrocket once more in the virus’s wake, the pandemic has the potential to produce lasting cultural shifts in the way we view social responsibility and the common good, and has demonstrated the capabilities of governments globally to take widespread action in the face of a universal threat.

Olivia Stock

Page Design by Shiyun Xiang Image courtesy of unsplash.com

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The Unnatural Nature of Social Distancing A cultural phenomena born of a disconcerting time, Lauren explores why social distancing feels so inexplicably bizarre and how to maintain a sense of connection amongst chaos.

to ensure they are coping well. Just because we can’t be in the physical presence of someone, doesn’t mean that we have to be socially distant. Whilst our primitive instincts may lead us to want to be as close with people as we can and touch them for support, the current circumstances mean we must relinquish this temporarily to protect the vulnerable in our society.

“We may not be connected physically but we are connected wirelessly”

Following the onset of the merciless virus Covid-19 in the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson issued a national lockdown which forced all non-key workers to isolate.

This has proven to be a very challenging task for many as, whilst prioritising our health is key, we are naturally inclined to yearn for socialisation and others to lean on emotionally.

The evolution of social media, however, allows us to stay positive on the flip side. Whilst we may not be connected physically, it allows us to stay connected wirelessly, and the development of the internet has meant that living independently has become something we are all more used to. This is

“Being isolated from other people can therefore be very challenging and worrying as it pushes against many of our evolutionary, survival instincts”

particularly relevant in the case of university as whilst we are surrounded by friends, it becomes more difficult to connect with family. However, this distance feels much smaller due to means such as video-calling and online messaging.

As evolutionists point out, ‘social distancing’ is a highly unnatural form of human behaviour as it goes against our innate, primitive nature to work together in completing tasks and surviving effectively. Working in groups gives humans many evolutionary advantages, they suggest, such as defending against rivals, reproducing and pooling together resources more efficiently. Being isolated from other people can therefore prove very challenging and worrying as it pushes against many of our human survival instincts developed over thousands of years.

It is also important to remember in this turbulent time that we are in a much more secure and comfortable position than our ancestors would have been. Rather than thinking of it as being stuck and isolated at home, consider that we are instead safe at home. Yes, this may seem strange and act against our evolutionary instincts, but ensuring we are healthy should be the main priority right now. If you are with your family during this time, enjoy spending the quality time with them as much as you can. If not, remember that you still have the internet. We must support each other as much as we can. Conversations don’t need to end, they can just be reshaped.

Whilst social distancing is hard for everyone in these circumstances, it’s even harder for those who are living alone, whether that is because they are an international student unable to get home, a high-risk individual or a doctor self-isolating in fear of passing the virus on to their family. Therefore, it’s more important now than ever that we stay connected and reach out to people

Lauren McGaun

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

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Mind the Eco Gender Gap As a global problem, climate change affects everyone; man or woman. However, in many ways, saving the planet seems to be women’s work, with re-usable and green products overwhelmingly marketed towards and bought by women. So, is climate change literally a man-made disaster?

While consumers are increasingly interested in ethics and sustainability, statistics show that within Britain, men seem to be lagging behind women in maintaining good environmental habits. Mintel aptly termed this, ‘the eco gender gap’, discovering that roughly 71% of women are trying to live more ethically compared to 59% of men. For example, with recycling alone, men (67%) are considerably less likely to regularly recycle than women (77%). Furthermore, women (64%) are also more likely than men (58%) to turn down or switch off the heating in the house. Although small, these actions can make a momentous difference.

Certainly, this eco gender gap can be partly explained by the overwhelming green choices available for women. From reusable pads and menstrual cups enabling a plastic-free, eco-friendly period to reusable makeup pads and eco-friendly detergents - eco-friendly products tend to cater more towards women. Whilst companies claim to be marketing for all genders, still, 90% of the customers are women. Raising the question as to why this is the case?

“While roughly 71% of women are trying to live more ethically, this compares to 59% of men”

Such a disparity could be a reflection of the fact that many women still tend to take charge in the domestic running of households. From food shopping to laundry, cleaning and even recycling. This brings to light the inherent gender inequality within society whereby men and women are socialised into different roles. Certainly, research conducted on this topic suggests that women have higher levels of socialisation to care about others and act socially responsible akin to caring for the environment.

Could this also be to do with a crisis of masculinity? With some men feeling that caring for the environment undermines what it means to be a ‘macho’ man. In a 2016 paper in the Journal of Consumer Research, findings showed men can be motivated to “avoid and/or oppose green behaviours” to safeguard their gender identity. The simple act of using a reusable tote bag instead of a plastic bag, for example, was considered to be ‘feminine’. Such a narrative creates an association between gender and action, and is toxic much like the chemicals contributing to the climate crisis.

Misogyny also represents a key factor in climate change denial. High profile climate campaigners, 17-year-old Greta Thunberg and Democrat politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are female. And to no surprise, those who tear them down (also known as ‘climate-change deniers’) tend to be older Republican men.

The recognition of an eco-gender gap is a reminder that, in the fight to tackle climate change, the disparity between genders within the domestic sphere must also be tackled. Businesses aiming to promote sustainability and an eco-friendly agenda should be targeting both men and women.

Therefore, acknowledging that the climate crisis is much greater than any single person. Thankfully, there is hope in younger generations who have broadly aligned on the topic.

Mia Haffety

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

“It brings to light the inherent gender inequality within society whereby men and women are socialised into different roles”

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“It does a disservice to universities if we only think of them as ancient beings; lumbering beasts of a bygone age that need to catch up to the modern era”

The motto of the university is ‘the nourishing mother of studies’, and the ideology that learning must be fed, given space to grow and allowed to become as strong as it can be, has become a cornerstone of universities across the world. Yet universities are not what they once were, having moved beyond the traditional framework of seats of higher learning to become hubs of cutting-edge research with the aim of creating great learners, thinkers and agents of change. However, the forefront of discovery is an ever-changing landscape to inhabit and we must ask, are universities ready and able to adapt to this brave new world?

We could begin by asking ourselves just what the purpose of a university is and how it is important not to confuse that notion with what a university does, as some people might imagine it. If all we sought from a university was to produce students who have achieved the next stage of educational qualification, then it is no more than a very expensive school. This thinking also reduces the societies of the university into mere ‘after school’ clubs for students to fill their time with, and research as just a way to fund the running of the university. Clearly this is not the case and whilst it is the next stage of education, a university does so much

more, teaching not just a new way of learning but independent research and the power of one’s own thinking.

Societies are far more than games and pastimes, but places where students can learn about themselves outside of an educational capacity. Research is not just for funding but has become a vital part of the global scientific community. The learning company Pearson recently held a symposium on the nature of universities, and whilst it was a lengthy debate, they came to the conclusion that all universities have four key points in common: a position at the frontier of knowledge, a duty to pushing the boundaries of knowledge, a pursuit of knowledge, and the dissemination of knowledge.

However, it does a disservice to universities if we only think of them as ancient beings; lumbering beasts of a bygone age that need to catch up to the modern era. Long have we found that these institutions have been the nexus point for amazing discoveries. The University of Cambridge was home to the discovery of the building blocks of Insulin in

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as Modern Hub

The ‘university’ as an idea is an old one, with its line establishment of the University of Bologna in Italy same year that Urban II became the Pope, and th however, universities feel more contemporary than provide both innovative, cutting-edge research a generatio

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bs of Innovation

eage stretching back to the year 1088 and the y. To offer some historical context, this is the herefore predates the first crusade. Today, n ever, and Gareth explores their potential to and an ever-improving education to future ons.

the 1950’s, Manchester created the contraceptive pill in the same decade, and continued discoveries from gene mapping, IVF treatment, stem cells and hundreds more, all came from universities in the United Kingdom. It was even the University of Edinburgh’s associate building, the Roslin Institute, who cloned Dolly the sheep.

If we expand the horizons of discovery beyond the sciences, the list continues to grow - from advances in architecture and language, to momentous historical and philosophical breakthroughs.

Universities across the globe communicate to share information, research and ideologies, knowing that the information age is always growing and evolving, and that they must be ready for that change.

A World Economic Forum article outlining the importance of universities adapting and moving with the times, highlighted not

“Societies are far more than games and pastimes, but places where students can learn about themselves outside of an educational capacity” capacity”

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only the huge leaps forward made by university research groups but also what is vital to keep working on when going forward. The article highlighted the importance of being at “the nexus of technology and society”, as well as the creation of links within the private sector, to ensure students are as well-equipped as they possibly can be when moving beyond the education system and towards their future goals.

The article puts a great deal of focus on STEM subjects as the World Economic Forum has highlighted these as an ever-increasing necessity within the workplace of the future. Universities have highlighted that a reduction in learners who have studied within these spheres of maths, science and their similars, will have a negative effect on society’s technological growth, and the article predicts a decrease in people with the skills to fulfil those roles in the coming years. The response from universities has been to rigorously promote these subjects; bringing those who study them into the research field, and once again working to equip students with the skills most suitable for the society that they are part of. Our world is a changing place, terrifying and wonderous, and as those on the forefront of this change, universities are changing with it, ready to unlock secrets for the next generation to study.

Gareth Holmes

Graphic by Amy Ridehalgh

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My Evolution Through University University is known to be a pivotal experience in people’s development. Lauren Winson recounts her personal evolution through university and some lessons we can all take from our shared experience.

“My evolution is not some ugly d uckling tale whereby the introvert must become super outgoing and chatty”

“If I could go back to my first-year self, I’d tell her to hold her head higher and try more new things”

Reflecting on my evolution through three years of undergraduate study seems a fitting swansong article as Impact’s Arts Editor. My committee role is the perfect example of how much I’ve grown in confidence since starting university.

When I first began university, I struggled with low self-esteem and didn’t think I’d be capable of writing for Impact!

I struggled to adjust to living away from home in first year, which affected my mental health and discouraged me from getting involved in any societies. In the spring semester I stood outside the Impact office, scared to enter and anxious about talking to new people. It took encouraging texts from my halls’ friends to get me to enter the office. Although I hardly spoke in Entertainment meetings, contributing articles played to my strengths as someone who enjoys writing and it boosted my confidence.

When I asked friends what their first impression of me was, a few phrases came up repeatedly: ‘very shy, hardly said anything, quite timid’. My evolution is not some ugly duckling tale whereby the introvert must become super outgoing and chatty! I remain quiet in person; the difference is I’m much happier in myself and more confident than I was three years ago.

As a first-year student I believed I needed to change my personality. I saw my quietness as a negative and heaped criticism on myself for having no desire to do the stereotypical university experiences of clubbing or going out - after three years, I still haven’t stepped foot in a club! If I could go back to my first-year self, I’d tell her to hold her head higher and try new things rather than being afraid of giving unfamiliar experiences a go.

The range of people I’ve met during my time at university helped me become more comfortable within myself. I was extremely lucky to meet like-minded people in halls of residence, on my degree and through Impact. They helped me to grow and they liked me because of, not in spite of, my quiet and thoughtful nature. Hearing others speak openly about their sexuality and discovering the university’s LGBT+ Network was also pivotal for me becoming comfortable with my queerness and more confident.

Over the last three years I’ve learnt about potential career paths and discovered a passion for poetry during my English with Creative Writing degree. I’ve always wanted to be a published author, but before university I hadn’t written much poetry. Now I’m working on a poetry dissertation and have undertaken social media and charity work in the arts sector, gaining new skills and experiences. Several friends have commented that I’m more confident at public speaking now, having dabbled in performing poems at open mics whilst at university.

Ultimately, I think university allows us all to evolve by giving us new experiences and challenges. Whether it’s moving away from home, the independence of managing our lives or developing academic pursuits, we are all shaped by our time as students.

Lauren Winson

Illustration by Amy Ridehalgh

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It’s time to climb the career ladder… but how to take the first step?

Not sure what to do after your degree? Don’t worry, Katy Skillen is here to help.

So, your university days of staying out until 3am, living off pot noodles and binge-watching Netflix have come to an end. It’s now time to become a real adult… which means getting a real job.

Maybe all your friends have signed up to exciting new grad schemes and seem to have their futures lined up, and you still don’t really know what to do. Well, if that’s the case, here are some innovative ideas to kickstart your career and help you become that mature grown-up you aspire to be…

Work-Away This is a worldwide organisation, based on exchanging your services for a return in non-monetary rewards. The way it works is that you can volunteer with them in almost any country of the world and in return you get free accommodation and food during the time you are there. The volunteering opportunities are diverse, including house-sitting, sailing, teaching, looking after animals, baby-sitting and even more! The locations are amazing- think Greek Islands or Columbian Mountains, so this is the perfect choice for someone wanting a gap year, but still wanting to gain new experiences and knowledge that could further your career at the same time.

“There are hundreds of jobs out there that you may not even know exist”

“The only thing stopping you from being the next candidate on The Apprentice is yourself”

Choosing part-time and summer jobs carefully could reap you benefits in the long term. Where you may have started out as a waitress, you could progress up to a managerial role. From then on this opens even more opportunities with other businesses and workplaces.

Summer jobs such as working at camps are also a great way to move higher and higher up the ranks every year. Your part-time job may soon become your future career.

Working from home, freelance work or self-employment

Societies Perhaps you found that at university you enjoyed and put more time and energy into being president of a society rather than your actual degree? So, what’s stopping you from pursuing a career within this instead?

Lots of societies, such as Amnesty, or Extinction Rebellion, are part of global organisations that may offer employment opportunities that may be worth looking out for.

Build your way up on your part-time job

Networking and internships There are hundreds of jobs out there that you may not even know exist! While going to endless career events, and maybe having to work for free for a bit in an internship can be frustrating, the people you meet and workplace skills you learn will make it worth it in the end. So, try to stick it out - your dream job may be just around the corner…

The only thing stopping you from being the next candidate on The Apprentice is yourself! If you have an idea for your own business plan, and are really serious about it, then there is no reason not to move home and actually start working for yourself! It may be slow at first and you could earn money during this time by advertising your own skills in your local area, creating an Etsy business or doing online tutoring. But, in the long run, it may be worth it - you’ll never know what you could achieve unless you try!

Katy Skillen

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

Diane Hendricks, now aged 73, grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, one of nine sisters. She had a surprise pregnancy aged seventeen, worked in a pen factory to support her child and had divorced her first husband by the age of 21. During this time, she also studied to gain a broker’s licence. Today, she is the second wealthiest self-made woman in the world.

Let us focus on that word: ‘self-made’ for just a moment.

Hendricks’s story is so extraordinary as she, alongside her second husband Ken, created their wealth from scratch. Together, they bought, renovated and rented out residential properties and industrial spaces in Beloit, Wisconsin. Their business plan then evolved into buying up roofing distributors nationwide and, from this idea, the multibillion-dollar company ABC Supply Inc. was born. Following a tragic accident in 2007, Ms. Hendricks’s husband Ken, a roofing contractor, was killed. Despite this, Hendricks continued to head the company, tripling revenue to over $9 billion, as of present, and expanding the firm to 49 states.

Diane Hendricks is the ultimate role model for any woman considering launching their own start-up. She navigated the construction and distribution industries, both overwhelmingly male-dominated worlds, to prove that female

A Crisis of Fem Where are all the Self-m innovation can triumph. If we were to focus on this isolated case, our perception of women’s capacity as entrepreneurs would be an optimistic one.

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To be a billionaire is a staggering achievement, but to be a female billionaire is even more impressive. Niamh Robinson explores why more women aren’t on the Forbes World’s Billionaires list and how this can be changed.

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Unfortunately, this does not reflect the reality.

The 2019 Forbes World’s Billionaires list features 2,153 billionaires. A mere 12% of these are women. Even more shockingly, whilst 73% of male billionaires are self-made, only 27% of the women on the list engineered their own fortunes.

These kinds of statistics appear to suggest that there is an innovation crisis amidst women. The female demographic is radically underrepresented in this elite bracket of billionaires who, either through their own pioneering or inheritance, hold more wealth than 60% of the population.

Women are also underrepresented in the entrepreneurial world in general.

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According to official figures, only one in five businesses in the UK is owned by a woman, despite there being 900,000 more women than men making up the British population.

Despite countless studies showing that businesses started by women are just as successful, if not more so than startups by their male counterparts, the lack of female entrepreneurs appears to tell otherwise.

So, why are women less likely to take the leap and direct their efforts into a start-up? And can we combat these inequalities to begin witnessing the emergence of more self-made female billionaires? The solution to this problem requires a multi-faceted response. Firstly, evolution appears to play a part.

According to an article on the World Economic Forum, women have more humility than their male counterparts.

This can be explained, partly, by men attributing failure to external circumstances, or chance, in cases where women are more likely to blame

“T immense rev fema

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male Innovation: made Female Billionaires?

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misfortune on personal inadequacies.

On a fundamental, evolutionary basis, therefore, women are more cautious and risk-averse than their male counterparts.

It is this very cautiousness which may be stagnating their role in business, and the economy.

The Rose Review reported that the scarcity of female entrepreneurs could be costing the UK economy £250 billion. That’s an immense waste, not just in revenue but in female potential. Is the solution therefore as straightforward as promoting female empowerment? By encouraging women to overcome their trepidation and take a leap of faith, will we see more gender equality on the 2020 Forbes Billionaire list of business tycoons?

If only it were that simple.

“It is harder for women to network in business, as networking has traditionally been done on the golf course, shooting or in men-only private members’ clubs” said Alix Lawson, founder of a successful interior design company, in an interview with The Telegraph.

This ‘networking’ provides yet another barrier to female advancement. For a start-up to get off the ground, it needs funds. These funds can come from a variety of sources: personal savings, crowdfunding or venture capital, to name but a few. The latter, venture capital (or VC), comprises firms who invest in small businesses which have the potential for exponential growth and could bring the investor great returns in the future. Think Lord Sugar.

The issue with VCs is that they are overwhelmingly male dominated. Thus, the culture around these networks, the likes of discussing multi-million-pound investments over a friendly round of golf, tend to favour men and exclude women.

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This bias toward people like oneself is called “homophily”, and it accounts for this affinity between male investors and male entrepreneurs.

So, how do we combat these biases so that female entrepreneurs receive equal access to financial resources?

This ‘old boys’ network’ is not something which can be disassembled overnight. Research shows that the answer lies in awareness and activism. By actively encouraging the promotion of women in business and raising awareness about the need for more female entrepreneurs, these antiquated traditions of men as ‘breadwinners’ and women as ‘caregivers’ can be eroded.

Successful women, like Diane Hendricks, are proof that men are no longer the only ones creating their own fortune. More recently, women-focused networks and schemes, such as All Bright and Back Her Business, are providing women with the resources needed to be successful in business. This is exactly the kind of awareness and activism required for change.

The world is gradually progressing.

With more women than ever before making it onto the Forbes self-made billionaires list, there is no greater proof that times are changing.

Female evolution may dictate that women are more cautious; better suited to childcare than enterprise.

But female innovation is proving that women are just as capable as men when it comes to designing their own success.

Perhaps, the likes of business magnates Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg shouldn’t get complacent any time soon.

Niamh Robinson

Graphic by Rachel Mortimer

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Has the Digital Age He In these strange and unprecedented times, Ellie delves into the world of the internet and how people have used social media and the digital space for good.

In many ways, social media has made self-isolation more manageable and bearable. People have been innovative and found ways to have fun and keep busy. It has given the government and politicians more channels to communicate important messages to the public. However, it has also created hysteria regarding misinformation on COVID-19, and therefore, has had adverse effects on people’s mental health.

An Online Community?

In the confines of one’s home, self-isolators are coming up with ways to entertain themselves and wider communities. There has been an array of online dance parties and social distancing discos.

Big Kitchen Disco on Twitter has attracted lots of attention and created a space for light-hearted fun whilst staying indoors. As well as this, Club Q has created an online queer party via Instagram, on the Zoom app, for every night of the quarantine.

Moreover, Rita Wilson – who tested positive for coronavirus along with her husband Tom Hanks – created a collaborative playlist with the public called ‘Quarantunes’. Popular party game app Psych has experienced continued issues due to the high volumes of groups playing with each other from their homes. Furthermore, Brett Goldstein has created an isolation film club where films are selected by nominated users then discussed afterwards through a hashtag on Twitter.

To aid the struggle of self-isolation, social media has been utilised to create mutual aid groups across the country. These platforms have allowed vulnerable people to ask for help where needed, for communities to stay connected and for people to publicise ways in which they can help their community during this difficult time. Nottingham COVID-19 Mutual Aid group on Facebook has 19,631 members (as of April 2020) with frequent posts asking for support, offering advice or simply offering gratitude for the kindness of others.

“Whilst people share information in good faith it can often do more harm than good”

A Political Communication Platform?

Both the NHS and the government have utilised popular platforms online, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Google, to proliferate the message ‘do you not leave your home’ and to signpost people to information regarding COVID-19. Whilst it feels slightly dystopian, this message has been far-reaching, through digital innovation, and it will save lives.

Nonetheless, the strict lockdown policy and messaging has not been consistent online from the time when the pandemic became a huge threat to Europe. An arguably ambivalent dialogue of being told to wash our hands and unclear advice on social distancing has turned into a volatile discourse that the ‘silly’ British public is to blame for any increased transmissions of COVID-19.

The British government was late to implement life-saving policies of a strict lockdown and widespread testing.

However, digital innovation allowed scientists, politicians, and the public to hold the government accountable, whether this be through the ‘Twittersphere’, viral Facebook posts or online petitions. Labour deputy leadership contender, Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan MP, has been at the forefront of holding the government to account with her political and medical expertise.

Moreover, NHS staff have taken to Twitter with their concerns about the lack of protective equipment and their ability to keep themselves, their family and patients safe without it. This, along with many other stories in the media, has created an impassioned public debate about the state of an underfunded NHS in defence of COVID-19 compared to health care services in East Asian countries such as China and South Korea.

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elped us with Covid-19?

A Platform Cultivating Hysteria?

Social media has been invaluable in circulating information on COVID-19, creating a space for discussion and holding the government to account. Equally, misinformation and false news has been disseminated across social media platforms. Notably, on WhatsApp, there have been chain messages containing misleading and dangerous medical advice. As well as Facebook posts, with one in particular, advising that warm water will prevent infection of COVID-19.

“Equally, misinformation and false news has been disseminated across social media platforms”

Undoubtedly, there has been hysteria in the UK, and although we cannot make a direct correlation between misinformation and panic buying, there is a distinct feeling of panic in our supermarkets and corner shops. Toilet roll, hand soaps, surface sprays, and pasta were all swept away from the shelves. The increasing amounts of toilet roll shortage memes have humorously shown the severity of the issue.

Nonetheless, the government has set up a Rapid Response Unit, operating from the Cabinet Office, to tackle misinformation and volatile narratives online. As well as this, the ‘Don’t Feed the Beast’ public information campaign is being relaunched with the hope people will question what they read online before sharing it further.

Whilst people share information in good faith it can often do more harm than good.

This is especially important in the context of a spike of hate crime, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, that has been directed towards East Asian people. Dangerous discourse used by political figures, such as Donald Trump and Michael Gove, has explicitly or implicitly, placed blame on China. For example, when Trump refers to COVID-19 as the ‘China virus’ it puts East Asian people in an incredibly uncomfortable position.

Lessons learnt?

“Nottingham COVID-19 Mutual Aid group on Facebook has 19,631 members (as of April 2020) with frequent posts asking for support, offering advice or simply offering gratitude for the kindness of others”

The innovation of the digital age has been invaluable in connecting people, raising spirits and keeping us busy during this difficult and strange time. It has been an instrumental tool to help vulnerable people in local communities and specifically, in Nottingham. Digital innovation has aided the NHS and government in spreading important messages about the pandemic and actions that need to be taken going forward to keep people safe.

However, there are downfalls to this. For example, when the government’s messages are inconsistent, and diverge from the needs of the public and crucially, from the needs of NHS workers. The potential for misinformation and volatile discourses on the virus puts many communities at risk. Even so, there is some hope, and digital platforms are a place where we can ‘call people out’ on these issues, be critical and create a space for discussion.

Ellie Stainforth Mallison

Illustration by Abi Kara-Fernandes

If we were to take a quantum leap into the future and arrive in 2120, what would we see? Fiction “We has made could easily take numerous a bleak outlook- our speculations governments fail, riots as to how the break out in the... world would look, as many of those fictional dates arrive, for example Bladerunner is now with flying cars, set in our past, how close did we get to matching fiction? There are no flying robotic limbs, cars, but I have a computer in my pocket that can connect to anyone in the apocalyptic world. However, as our world goes through unprecedented times, what will that do for wastelands our vision of the future? and cities in ...streets the sky. Yet, We could easily take a bleak outlook - our and we are racked by a governments fail, riots break out in the global pandemic” streets 20 20

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and we are racked by a global pandemic. Only a handful of those rich enough or long sighted enough have survived in various bunkers across the globe (doomsday prepping doesn’t seem so radical now). Those who did survive may

have done so with enough people to work on cures and vaccines and are able to begin the slow journey to retake our planet. But, for many it is a wasteland where we must scavenge to survive.

Of course, maybe the mega corporations will take charge, as they are already intertwined with most governments. Will we see the Amazon free states fighting against the Benevolent dictatorship of The House of Mouse as we become cogs in the machine in great neon cities with the iPhone simply integrated into our biomatrix? Or maybe we will see the rise of the robots and artificial intelligence fighting for its right to be recognised.

Whilst I would like a mixture of giant fighting robots and glorious neo-eighties optimism, my hope is that it will be a world of peace. It will be a difficult road at first but eventually we will see that where we are going, we don’t need roads.

Gareth David

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

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DON’T CANCEL YOUR CREATIVITY Some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time had shaky starts trying to get their businesses off the ground. Isabelle Raikes articulates why we should be inspired by their perseverance and not underestimate our own innovation as a result.

When Mark Zuckerberg sat in his dormitory room at Harvard university creating Facebook, he did not expect that 16 years later he would have over 2 billion users \ worldwide and be listed as one of the world’s youngest billionaires. When Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard university after two years to pursue Microsoft, he did not expect that by age 23 his company would be turning over $2.5 million. Nor did a group of Cambridge university friends expect that, after leaving their jobs, being rejected by every bank and business in London and racking up debts of over £15,000 in their first year, their Innocent smoothie company would be valued at $500 million in 2013.

“Without these entrepreneurs, those daring enough to take their ideas off paper and pursue them, our world may not be as advanced as it is today” These entrepreneurs, who had faith in themselves and their ideas and, in turn, have been hugely successful, serve as demonstrations that we should not undermine our creativity due to self-doubt. It is hard to imagine what our world may have been like without these inventions. Without these entrepreneurs, those daring enough to take their ideas off paper and pursue them, our world may not be as advanced as it is today.

As our planet is constantly evolving, it is impossible to predict what innovations lie around the corner, capable of taking humankind to the next stage of progression. As a result, no idea should be undermined. The aforementioned entrepreneurs could never have predicted the impact their inventions would have on the world. If Mark Zuckerberg had doubted his ability to create one of the first, and most popular, social media networks, others like Twitter and Instagram may never have followed. The phenomenon of social media may never have happened. This shows how, without these creative minds who act on these impulsive lightbulb moments, the world may never have been as advanced as it is today.

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“No story better demonstrates this perseverance than that of Coca Cola, who only sold around 25 bottles of their beverage in their first year of trading compared to the 1.4 billion servings now sold daily” These entrepreneurs, both male and female alike, did not let their doubts limit their success. So, why should you?

Being a woman also does not limit your potential for success in this current day and age where only the sky is the limit. Anita Roddick started The Body Shop in a small space in Brighton, with only 25 products, and had to encourage customers to recycle bottles as she could not afford to supply more. Now, the Body Shop range consists of over 300 products and more than 2,500 stores worldwide.

From little more than an idea and the motivation behind them to continue, all of these start-ups flourished, regardless of the hardships they initially faced. No story better demonstrates this perseverance than that of Coca Cola, who only sold around 25 bottles of their beverage in their first year of trading compared to the 1.4 billion servings now sold daily. With a drink as popular as Coke, it is hard to imagine that, had the creators not believed in their idea enough to continue, it may not have been around today.

Isabelle Raikes

Illustration & Page Design by Chiara Crompton

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Do University Degrees Encourage Innovation and Creativity?

Are universities fostering environments for student innovation or inhibiting the pursuit of new ideas? Lauren McGaun considers both perspectives to deduce whether our educational institutions may be doing our creativity more harm than good.

Universities are supposed to be at the centre of innovation due to their ground-breaking research which encourages revolutionary ideas, but do they really live up to this mark?

Those who are defenders of the innovative potential of universities suggest that they are leading the way by fostering entrepreneurship, encouraging collaboration with the private sector and promoting inclusivity.

This is especially the case for American universities that are said to account for nearly half of the most innovative universities in the world. So, why is it that American universities continually dominate in terms of their modernity?

When comparing the arts with the sciences, many ultimately believe that it is the arts that give off the most creativity and innovation. I want to reverse this conception.

“As As arts is so often taught from a arts is so often western perspective taught from a at university, often looking at western perspective American aims at university, often in relation to foreign policy looking at American for example, aims in relation to this inevitably shuts out foreign policy for certain ideas example, this inevitably and prevents students shuts out certain ideas from and prevents students looking at issues from from looking at issues different from different angles” angles.

Whilst arts students certainly have more free time to think creatively due to a less rigid schedule, ultimately it is down to them what they choose to do with this time. Often, they are not encouraged enough by lecturers to seek out this innovative thinking. Science programmes, on the other hand, provide more room for experimentation, which in turn can lead to increased innovation as ground-breaking research is conducted for things like coronavirus cures.

This is not to say that universities are not innovative spaces and that you would be more limited by taking arts subjects. However, what it points out is that universities could be doing more to push independent thinking and creativity even further. This doesn’t just mean excellence in teaching, but also adapting existing structures so that teaching stays relevant. As Henry Doss argues, in many ways we are stuck in the past here, so we must push educational institutions to continuously strive for better in terms of academics, an idea that many seem to now be taking on board. In my view, this would include the introduction of more lecturers for teaching, to provide alternative views on topics, and universities encouraging more creative hubs, in which students can explore their ideas, so they are prepared for the ever more competitive job market. However, most innovation is self-driven, so students must have the drive in wanting to innovate.

With a university that is open to new ideas, and has creative minds willing to work, this can easily be achieved so that the way we study can be revolutionised in the future. Innovation is a crucial skill for employability, so we must not let any barriers in rigid teaching prevent us from striving to learn more outside of our degree programmes.

Lauren McGaun

Graphic & Page Design

by Sarah MacAllan

“Innovation is a crucial skill for employability, so we must not let any barriers in rigid teaching prevent us from striving to learn more outside of our degree programmes”

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‘Normal’ Life... Can we have it back?

Features writer Anna sheds light on what she is looking forward to doing when ‘normal’ life resumes, and how things may be different.

I remember the day before I left university to go home. It was a brilliantly sunny day, and with lectures cancelled for the first time, also a very empty feeling day. Not knowing what to do with ourselves with no coursework deadlines looming, a friend and I bought ice creams from Spar and had a gentle stroll around the lake. Although coronavirus fears were real, I didn’t realise how quickly we would be whisked home. Several weeks later, the idea of going around the local common with a cornetto in hand seems to completely undermine the point of one hour of exercise a day.

These are the sort of moments I miss the most. Sunny afternoons spent laughing with friends, going out for a pizza with my boyfriend and strolling around town on a Saturday. Don’t get me wrong, I do not take these things for granted. I recognise that I am fortunate, and I practice gratitude. Although the moments described are special ones, there are mundane and routine things I will be looking forward to doing when ‘normal life resumes’.

“The empty shelves make me worry less about the virus, but more about the ‘everyman for himself’ approach some people have taken” Firstly, going to the supermarket. I know we still can, but the experience of going now is somewhat scary. Seeing people in chunky facemasks on the TV is one thing but seeing them next to the bananas in your local shop is daunting. The empty shelves make me worry less about the virus, but more about the ‘every man for himself’ approach some people have taken. Although the supermarket shop seemed a bit like a chore in the past, to be able to go in and carefully choose ingredients without feeling anxious is something I am looking forward to.

I’m going to sound like a bit of a nerd here, but I do look forward to going to lectures and seminars again. Maybe I’m not so

excited for 9ams. But, talking to other

students about the subject we are looking

at and exploring different ideas together was far more engaging than the quiet Microsoft Teams groups and just reading lecture slides off a computer.

“Maybe we will lead more considered lives and be grateful for everyday experiences. Hopefully, we will be kinder” Finally, going to the gym. Of course, we can exercise at home, but the kick of going to a fitness class with the music blaring whilst you’re doing your thing is hard to replicate at home, at least without annoying who you live with.

However, I wonder what life will be like when it ‘resumes’. Will we go back to the frantic and busy ways we lived before? Of course, I think we can expect about a week of partying up and down the country, but what about after that?

Maybe we will step out of this, slowly, calmly and gratefully. Maybe we will lead more considered lives and be grateful for everyday experiences. Hopefully, we will be kinder. During this period, I have seen immense generosity and kindness in communities, and I wish that this will continue into the future.

Anna Stacey

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

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Barbie: Contemporary Feminist Heroine?

Barbie dolls have undoubtedly evolved since their conception, but have they changed enough to shake off their damaging reputation?

When I was little, I loved playing with my Barbies, but looking back, their tiny waists, huge boobs and thigh gaps were terrifyingly unnatural. Last year, Barbie turned 60, and in terms of diversity, the doll, which has been around for three generations, has come a long way. But have the makers, Mattel, transformed what we would now consider a toy promoting an unhealthy image of womanhood into a contemporary feminist heroine?

It’s undeniable that Barbie dolls are now made in various shapes, sizes and ethnicities, but the brand wasn’t always so diverse. The original Barbie, made in 1959, was skinny to the point of having medically impossible proportions. Many have now argued that she represented a highly sexualised and unattainable model for young girls.

“You could argue that Mattel has accomplished an amazingly successful re-branding by producing dolls which simultaneously embody fun and empowerment” However, in the early 1960s, Mattel started modelling Barbies in working positions, but they were limited to traditionally “female” jobs, like flight attendants and nurses.

In 1963 ‘Career Girl Barbie’ was made wearing a grey suit, and, for the first time, depicted a woman following a career, reflecting the changing attitudes towards women driven by civic movements for equality in America.

1965 saw a Barbie break-through; ‘Astronaut Barbie’ demonstrated how women were no longer constricted to “feminine” professions. ‘Christie’ was the first black doll produced by Mattel in 1969, but significantly, she was not included in the Barbie brand. It took 11 more years for the first ‘African American Barbie’ to be made and the doll colour line to be broken.

‘Business Executive Barbie’ appeared on shelves in 1991, but she was wearing an Elle Woods-style suit complete with pink heels. It took another 8 years for ‘WNBA Player Barbie’ to be released; she presented girls with a doll wearing trainers instead of heels for the first time.

In 2004, the second ‘Presidential Candidate Barbie’ was produced, but unlike her predecessor, she had black skin, and thereby presented another doll very much ahead of her time. ‘Computer Engineer Barbie’ was made in 2010 and was particularly significant because she represented the 23% of women in STEM professions.

In honour of Barbie’s 60th birthday, Mattel released their most diverse range of Barbies to date. These dolls were all modelled on real life women, something Mattel has been doing since 2015. Among them were Barbie versions of Naomi Osaka, a professional Japanese tennis player, Adowa Aboah, a British activist and model, and Ashley Graham, an American plus-size model.

These dolls represent a huge shift from the unilateral dolls of the past.

“Many have called her impossibly skinny and flawless figure totally unrepresentative of women” Lisa McKnight, the Senior Vice President and General Manager at Barbie, remarked: “On this milestone anniversary, we are using our global platforms to inspire girls and educate society on what we can do together to unlock their full potential.” You could argue that Mattel has accomplished an amazingly successful re-branding by producing dolls which simultaneously embody fun and empowerment.

The decision to start making Barbies to honour inspiring, real-life women was an amazing move for the brand. The very idea suggests that dolls started looking more human and less alien in their proportions, skin tones and hair textures. This change also meant that the first Barbie wearing a

FEATURES hijab was produced to honour Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympics.

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In order to accommodate the women they wanted to embody, Mattel also started creating curvy, tall and petite dolls. Today, Mattel’s dolls are more diverse than ever; they reflect the positive steps that the fashion industry in particular is making towards diversity in the images they promote.

However, the original Barbie shape, and all the controversy she has embodied, is still being manufactured. Many have called her impossibly skinny and flawless figure totally unrepresentative of women; you might even go as far as to say she is socially irresponsible in the way that she gives young girls ideas about what “beauty” looks like.

“If a doll was scaled up to a fully-grown woman, she wouldn’t be able to stand” At 11.5 inches tall, her tiny legs have been condemned by doctors. If a doll was scaled up to a fully-grown woman, she wouldn’t be able to stand. You don’t have to search social media for long to be able to find examples of women who have had invasive plastic surgery to become ‘real-life Barbies.’ Even though this might be an extreme reaction to the iconography of the Barbie doll, it suggests that on some level, girls internalise the figure of their favourite toys.

Considering that Barbies are still contributing to the major cultural issue of body confidence, should the original Barbie, and her medically impossible figure, be phased out? The fact that the original Barbies are now being styled in a more inclusive way covers up how her impossible proportions are deeply problematic. Personally, I think that it’s time that the original Barbie bows out and lets her more realistic sisters take over; besides, she is 60!

“I think that it’s time that the original Barbie bows out and lets her more realistic sisters take over” It’s important that the professions and body shapes of Barbies continue to diversify, but it’s also vital that Barbies branch out to depict a broader cross section of women in society. Barbies in wheelchairs, such as the one made to honour former Olympic track cyclist, Kristina Vogel, who was paralysed in a crash, and Barbies with prosthetic limbs would make a fantastic start.

The lack of Barbies wearing glasses is also noticeable; only the Barbies in “geeky” professions seem to wear them. Moreover, I think that Barbie should honour Winne Harlow with a doll that girls with vitiligo can relate to. Perhaps these diversifications would help to challenge bullying of kids who look and feel “different.”

However, there’s a major caveat to the positive strides Barbies have made: the stock on the shelves doesn’t yet reflect the array of models Mattel now produces. Until the stores sell the full range of dolls, their efforts will have been in vain.

Perhaps then girls will change their role models from the “prettiest” dolls to those that celebrate their individuality and unique beauty.

Jenny Katte

Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee Image courtsey of Pikist.com

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Exposure

Innovation in Isolation: celebrating individual Communi-Tea Introduction by Charlie O’Neill: Communi-Tea is a student led initiative to create a safe space for students of UoN, especially 2nd and 3rd years, meet new people without the formality/fees of an official sport or society!

The group will have weekly meet-ups in Lenton houses September onwards (wii nights, cocktail nights, spoons nights, movie nights) open to anyone feeling a bit lonely! For now, we’re utilising our social media platform to help chase those isolation blues away, such as a fun zoom meet up every Saturday 8pm!

It was inspired by all the posts on Nottsfessional having the theme of Lenton loneliness We have daily challenges, tag challenges, weekly zooms, a Snapchat chat, messenger chat and also a buddy system so every member of communi-tea has a starter friend!

You can find Communi-Tea at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/352110954925626/permalink/1861657880637585/?sale_post_ id=1861657880637585&ref=messenger_banner

e Spread

IMPACT

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The Biodiscovery Institute Big Sunflower Competition Introduction by Luke Thornton:

During this challenging time, a sense of togetherness and solidarity across the world can become the most powerful weapon we have to combat this difficult situation.

That is why the Biodiscovery Institute invites everyone around the world to grow a sunflower.

We aim to have sunflowers arising across the globe as a unifying symbol of our defiance to Coronavirus – much like the Seas of Red in 2014.

By sharing photos of these sunflowers, we hope to add a little ray of sunshine to the everyday lives of people around the world and to lighten their paths through these testing times. You are not alone.

Plant a sunflower, strengthen our common voice, and together we will come out of this stronger and more united than ever before. #RayOfSunflower #MillionSunflowers #WeAreUoN You can find the Biodiscovery Institute’s Big Sunflower Competition at: https://www.facebook.com/events/974758929662079/

Photo courtesy of the Biodiscovery Institute

Photo courtesy of Communi-Tea,

ls and groups who are overcoming lockdown

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Creative Showcase Introduction by UoN Creative Writing Society: Societies are one of the most important parts of my University experience. Most evenings I would be at a society social, be it the Creative Writing Society which I am president of, or one of the other societies I am a part of. So, when Lockdown stopped all society activities I was at a bit of a loss. I had seen loads of virtual choirs and music on Facebook and thought I should try and arrange something like that for the Creative Writing Society. Pretty soon after the thought appeared, I realised this could be something other societies would want to get involved with so I sent messages to all the societies I could think of and got a lot of positive interest. We had a poll to decide which charity to raise money for, and I am very proud to have done something to help such a worthy cause. We raised £340 for the Nottingham Hospitals Charity and provided some much-needed entertainment for our audience. We had a wonderful mix of talents on show from music and song writing to creative writing and dance.

You can watch a recording of the showcase at: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=270%20393723974064&ref=watch_permalink

Student Minds Nottingham’s 30-Days of Self-Care Challenge Introduction by Student Minds: In such an unprecedented time in this world, we developed the ‘30-day self-care’ in hopes to inspire and remind everybody to take care of themselves and especially their mental health. We hoped that the ‘30-day self-care challenge’ would act as a guideline for everyone to follow in hopes of alleviating any sense of anxiety or stress whilst also drawing upon some normalcy in everyone’s lives.

Photo courtesy of the UoN Creative Writing Society Image courtesy of Student Minds Nottingham Photo courtesy of RadioOctave

RadioOctave’s ‘Faith’ Introduction by RadioOctave: We are RadioOctave, a University of Nottingham A Cappella group! We were gutted that this academic year was cut short as we had some really exciting things planned, leading up to performing at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the summer. When we heard that the Fringe was cancelled, we decided to create a virtual recording of one of the songs we should have been performing in Edinburgh to celebrate all the hard work we’d put in throughout the year. And what better than our cover of ‘Faith’ by George Michael to remind everyone to stay positive and have FAITH that life will return to normal soon! We have also set up a Just Giving page to raise money for the Nottingham University Hospitals Charity during this crisis which will help to fund equipment for NHS staff. We have already raised £120 and would love to raise as much as we can!

You can watch their cover of ‘Faith’ at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaG8VZsKTak&fbclid=IwAR16YqfQ8ZhkX5XIImRAuAMtITUxs7DFYWt-PnNsaevCAzZUw_1AnjKhT8c If you’re interested in donating to their Just Giving page, you can find it at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/radio-octave?fbclid=IwAR1L24Ogmckk_wFk1r4dMI4wUGJoJs4zE8BE9fGfhToAB9rg6ZUJfxko2-w

It was really nice to see quite a few people taking part in the challenge by tagging us in their stories on Instagram. To name a few of the stories, we got to see peoples baking skills and a few of their favourite meals too! We genuinely hoped that this challenge made their days a bit better and brighter amidst everything going on in the world today.

You can find Student Minds at: https://www.facebook.com/studentmindsuon/ https://www.instagram.com/studentmindsuon/

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T h e Ev o l u t i o n o f Fa s h i o n Lilith talks us through the trends throughout time and the redefining nature of Fashion.

Ask any designer and they’ll tell you that trends repeat throughout time.

Admittedly, we’ve come a long way since the corsets and the petticoats but when it comes to crazy styled skirts and the voluptuous figures showcasing them, both trends still characterize the past and present Red Carpet events.

From 60s tie-dye and turtlenecks, to the flares and floral prints of the 70s – some trends are timeless and fashion is constantly adapting to keep these trends interesting. Let’s take the beloved flares.

They have recently made a noticeable return to the fashion industry but, ten years ago, it would be ludicrous to be seen in any jeans that weren’t skinny! Go back another decade to the dawn of the new millennium, and low-rise flared jeans were all the craze – just ask Britney Spears…

“Some trends are timeless”

“The cyclical nature of style means your wardrobe will always be recyclable” The cyclical nature of style means your wardrobe will always be recyclable. So, think twice before throwing out that classic dress or that timeless tee; in the words of Coco Chanel, ‘fashion changes, style endures.’

The 80s is an eternal era, providing significant style inspiration that has Lilith influenced the clothes we wish to wear Hudson today. How could we dismiss a decade that bought us acid-wash denim and shoulder-pads? In recent years, 80s high-rise mom jeans and double denim have dominated high-street stores. The British festival-rave scene of the 2010s saw a return of scrunchies and shell-suits, only lately surpassed by neon and animal print. Creds to the 90s and ic, Gwen Stefani for making cargo-pants mus is o t cool. An epoch also accountable for ked s th ly lin hat doe seen b baggy sportswear sweaters, and the a c x tri has e. W s classic duo of checked grunge flannels s ine nfluenc entury culture . i e l i y c b t t u t y s i t s s and DMs (thanks for the inspo Kurt ri rs y g 21 ct, spe d celeb s? The esentin nd dive ade o r t Cobain!)

In re lture an nt year d, repr ariety a has m an ith rv fine -cu edia ece pop n for r ds rede at offe cial m efore w styles o h t rb mea us tren looks t t and s eve the bes istory. n o e a d i n l e h p l co ifacet e Inter sive t n of a ghout h t u inclu atio mul of th thro with he rise n more malgam T io a fash Illustration & Page Design for spread by Chiara Crompton

STYLE

T h e Fu t u r e o f Fa s h i o n

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Phoebe discusses the more innovative methods of clothing production and how these will be beneficial for our environment.

The future of fashion, as depicted by sci-fi films, often involves a mass of silver Lycra, shiny deely-boppers and outlandish hairstyles. Whilst this look has been favoured by futuristic stereotypes, is this really where fashion is taking us?

The clothing world has seen the rise of recycled vintage, organic cotton, and sustainable brands such as E.L.V Denim and Ksenia Schnaider.

These are perhaps not household names yet, but with a new generation of environmental activists, you might be seeing a lot more of phrases such as “synthetic biology” and “root structures”. One of the leading innovators in this sector is Bolt Threads, who use genetically modified yeast, sugar, water and salt to bioengineer a protein fibre that emu- lates the struc- ture of spider silk

(without the usual polluting chemicals or pesticides). This may sound like a fancy recipe for bread, but Bolt Threads, teamed with Stella McCartney, have released a fashion line made entirely from this new fibre.

“This may sound like a fancy recipe for bread […]”

ana y Di s to b s t lant ojec e pr ots of p sional r a en rks e ro e wo ains th ree-dim use h t in a tr th o Also er, who borate mat wh create e o r a l u t a e r e e F s r Sch w into and urethan reation r a , s o e gr oly r’s c e fo ctur stru s and p Schere l is ther t e r ia ls g tent Whi atin le fib app leather. , the po y of cre g. le n a faux wearab new w g clothi e n t l i no who rth-sav ea

The question is, what will it look like? Maybe the sci-fi costume designers weren’t too far off in their Lycra predictions. If we track historical fashion trends, what is new generally emerges from what is worn in sport. In any high street you will find a plethora of leggings, tracksuits and trainers worn everyday as the fashion of the comfortable. Function too has become a fashion, with the apple watch featuring as the new stylish “bling”. The future seems not just eco, but also electronic, with developments in wearable technology rising just as fast as the sustainable.

Phoebe Raine

Thus, my prediction for fashion’s future involves the comfortable, with sustainable fabrics integrated with wearable tech. It may not be silver, but I hope the future is green.

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LIFESTYLE

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IMPACT

Is a Virus Outbreak Like Covid-19 Preventable?

The world is taking the same approach now as it did in the 1918 pandemic. During the H1N1 virus outbreak, the government restricted public movement and ordered people to self-quarantine. The virus infected nearly 50 million people worldwide. Over 100 years later, global virus outbreaks are still happening, and governments are still taking the same passive approach; action only after virus infection has occurred.

Shouldn’t we question why aren’t we doing any better?

Or is a novel virus outbreak preventable at all?

“Ecologists, wildlife managers, and conservationists should be given more resources and opportunities as they play crucial roles in sustaining constant human development” What is different now is that the communication and health-check systems have improved drastically. Ideally, virus spreading can be suppressed as technologies can spot virus infection earlier and authorities can spread messages across the globe in a matter of seconds. However, this did not happen, and it’s understandable.

The regular public health monitoring is expensive and being constantly aware of novel virus infections can be tricky, as the coronavirus symptoms are similar to common flu. Moreover, the world is dealing with viruses on a one-to-one basis, but can we deal with multiple outbreaks at the same time?

Covid-19 and other viruses, such as bird flu and swine flu, are categorised as the severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) virus. SARS viruses live on animals and human carriers, and it’s a probability matter that these viruses infect us, thereafter we can only rely on our immune system against them. This is because current medical invention lacks a cure for severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) virus infections.

Moreover, deforestation, change of land activities, and animal trafficking on wet markets could increase the rate of infection. These activities disturb the ecosystems and interaction between humans and animals. Viruses are ever-present in the ecosystems, unless we disturb the ecosystems via overly exposing the natural resources and illegally trafficking animals, most of them are living independent of us.

Preventive measures are needed to protect the health of the biospheres and the ecosystems to prevent virus outbreaks. In October 2019, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the German government developed the Berlin Principles that urge the integration of understanding between humans, animals, and environments to protect us from virus threats. The principles point out the lack of global focus on environmental issues in human development. For instance, the 2019-2020 research funds allocation showed that the Natural

Environmental Research Council (NERC) received £404 million, which is less than half of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s (EPSRC) funding, which is at £1.1 billion. Therefore, in alignment with these principles, ecologists, wildlife managers, and conservationists should be given more resources and opportunities as they play crucial roles in sustaining constant human development.

“Current medical invention lacks a cure for severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) virus infections” The coronavirus outbreak is once again another reminder about our ignorance on environmental balance whilst we aim for better economic class and living status. Many diseases are living in our society, and we are uncertain how many more viruses we can co-exist with, but one thing for sure is that a healthy interaction between humans, animals, and the environment should be improved for better living.

Teck Fong

Illustration by Rachel Mortimer

FOOD

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Debunking GM Food Myths “One such argument is that GM crops are inherently unsafe and damaging to the environment. No study is yet to find any evidence of this”

Genetic modification is a controversial topic but, as Matthew explains, the pros may outweigh the cons.

The phrase ‘genetically modified food’ carries a lot of weight. Upon reading it, almost everyone will have their own opinion on whether it’s good or bad, if it should be more or less heavily regulated, and if it should be totally banned or whole-heartedly embraced.

But, as with most topics, the debate isn’t as clear cut as these differences of opinion make it out to be. On both sides of the argument are myths that need to be debunked and facts that need to be highlighted.

In the UK, you won’t find genetically modified food grown commercially on any farm, nor will you find much of it on supermarket shelves. The regulations in the UK are so tight, and the public appetite so low, that it doesn’t make economical sense to make or sell it here. That isn’t to say GM produce is absent from our food chain. According to a 2016 Royal Society report, 90% of the soybeans used for animal feed in the EU is derived from a GM source.

“We were consuming food that’s far from natural way before genetic engineering entered onto the scene”

Much of the anti-GM rhetoric is perpetuated by Vadana Shiva, an activist based in Delhi. She raises many good points such as the issues surrounding large companies, like Monsanto (recently bought out by Bayer), who have a near monopoly over the seed market, both GM and otherwise. GM crops can be engineered to withstand certain pesticides. The companies that sell these seeds also sell the specific pesticide, and thus control the market.

Unfortunately, Shiva persists in also spreading many scientifically inaccurate rumours which get picked up by the mass media and propagated. One such argument is that GM crops are inherently unsafe

and damaging to the environment. No study is yet to find any evidence of this. The environmental downsides of GM crops are associated with growing vast monocultures and run-off of agricultural chemicals into water sources. However, this is also a major issue with non-GM crops. In many cases, GM crops are better for the environment as the modified crops often protect themselves from pests and therefore require far fewer pesticides.

The health-risk argument also easily falls apart.

We were consuming food that’s far from natural way before genetic engineering entered onto the scene. Selective propagation of crops and breeding of animals is an established practice for increasing their nutritional value, efficiency, and resilience. In many ways, genetic engineering is a more precise, and accelerated, method to achieve the same results.

An example of a successful GM crop…

Over half-a-million children die, and a similar quantity go blind, every year due to a deficiency in vitamin A. So, scientists used genetic modification to boost the vitamin A levels in a new variety of Golden Rice. In 2018 it was approved in several developed countries, but so far it has faced legal battles to gain approval in the countries where it’s needed most.

Let’s be clear, GM foods are not going to save the world. But neither is blocking their development on non-scientific grounds. In conjunction with other technologies and ethical business practices, GM food could go a long way to improving many lives.

Matthew Bird

Illustration by Amy Ridehalgh

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IMPACT

The Evolution of Fusion Foods: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Fusion food has become commonplace in the culinary world, from the high-street to the high-end, but where did it start and how has it impacted our eating habits? Alice explains.

Fusion food is the combining of cuisines from different cultures to create a new hybrid dish. In a modern multicultural world fusion food can be a way for people from all backgrounds to come together and try new things, whether that be classical French cuisine, Southeast Asian dishes or chips and curry sauce. ‘Fusion Food’ often feels like a tag which gives restaurants a good excuse to charge extra, but in reality, are they missing the point of fusion food?

Up until the 1980s, American restaurants offering high-end ethnic food often relied on gimmicks to draw in business looking more for a piece of theatre than an authentic dining experience. For instance, Moroccan restaurants served tagine to diners sat on the floor in mocked up Berber tents. Such examples of cultural naivety put the theatrics before the food and the cost meant that the ordinary diner couldn’t afford such an experience.

However, these kinds of restaurants starkly contrasted with the culinary culture which was starting to develop in Britain. Where Californian chefs looked to sell an experience, Balti houses popped up from Birmingham to London run by South Asian immigrants who brought their own cooking styles which they adapted to attract the native population. Although what developed in Britain may no longer be called ‘fusion,’ the original adaptation of traditional dishes and combination of culinary backgrounds for a British palate fits the definition of fusion cooking. The dishes created in Birmingham weren’t high-end, but instead affordable for people to enjoy as a takeaway on a Friday night.

As time went on, chains such as Malmaison were created with the unique selling point of serving ‘fusion food’ which satisfied the culinary cravings of customers with new and evolving tastes. Although some of the initial restaurants which ventured into fusion food remained high-end, a new medium-end dining experience with fusion elements started to develop. A key example of this is Las Iguanas which themes its food around Latin influences, while also being a successful casual dining chain affordable to the average customer. This expansion in the fusion market meant that rather than fusion food being a unique selling point, the combination of flavours and cuisines became an expectation from diners.

The increasing popularity of new dining experiences has continued despite the growth in nationalism; even the hardest xenophobes can be seen ordering a Balti. This demonstrates how culinary innovation has created a new social phenomenon that extends beyond just food; the fusion of cuisines has overcome the prejudice that exists in some circles in order to become the modern western culinary experience. The idea of fusion food, which evolved through innovation and the mixing of migrant and native cuisines, may have begun this trend, but it’s now impossible to try and separate different culinary cultures as people connect through their shared love of the same dishes.

The concept of fusion food demonstrates our ability to learn things from new cultures and bring them into our daily lives through food. It also shows our ability to adapt and not be intimidated by what is and isn’t ‘authentic,’ allowing us to explore our cooking skills and tastes more widely.

Alice Nott

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

TRAVEL

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Transforming the AR and VR: Travel Industry Whilst further fuelling a lucrative travel industry to skyscraper heights, innovations in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) supplement a tourist’s experience in travelling, making it easier and more accessible for any globetrotter around the world.

AR technology adds to or masks the environment we see with our eyes. The hit mobile game Pokémon Go is an example, where Pokémon appear in our real-life surroundings through our phones but are not actually there. VR technology, however, is synonymous with headsets. We cover our eyes with the tech and suddenly what we see is completely different to the world we experience without it. Indeed, it transports us into a whole other reality, whilst wiping away what we expect to see.

Naturally, this is fruitful technology. It can be helpful to a tourist. I myself have used AR at the lofty heights of the Rockefeller Centre in New York; the accompanying app, ‘Top of The Rock,’ gives meaning to the skyline you see around you. Hold the mobile in front of what you see, and labels are given to the buildings with names and information. Other apps follow suit with i nformation of whether there are hotels, restaurants and attractions, inconspicuous to the naked eye, right in front of you. AR is certainly a potent tool for a tourist in a treasure trove such as Venice, where there are details in every nook and cranny which can easily be overlooked. There is no doubt

“With a lot of supporting kit, a headset and my feet strapped onto a board, I was suddenly snowboarding down an Alpine slope”

“If a trip abroad is out of the question, we can use VR to whisk us away”

that technology like this aids businesses and services, generates money and can make a holiday abroad more beneficial to all parties involved.

However, if a trip abroad is out of the question, we can use VR to whisk us away. Through our laptops and phones, we can view 360o tours of attractions such as the Vatican or Machu Picchu in our front rooms. If complete with a headset, the immersion should feel just like we are there, with movement, sights and sounds imitating the reality.

Fortunate as I am, I have tried VR too along the Champs-Élysées in Paris, in a Samsung store. With a lot of supporting kit, a headset and my feet strapped onto a board, I was suddenly snowboarding down an Alpine slope.

It was fun, but would not serve to replace a winter sport holiday; there was no feeling the cold air or adrenaline for example AR is nurturing our existing holiday experiences. It aims to aid what we already enjoy and will continue to do so. VR sets a different path. The technology has powers to produce a holiday in our homes. For now though, we cannot sense the smells, experience the social interaction or sample the foods of a destination. Despite this, both technologies shift the realities we know to enrich our lives in the pursuit of travel. They are ever-improving, so while we continue to travel and enjoy ourselves in the conventional way, one day, the reality of it might well be far different.

Rian Patel

Page Design and Graphics by Natasha Phang-Lee Images courtesy of Unsplash.com

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BIOMETRICS: How Far Should We Go? To many of us, biometrics - physical characteristics such as our fingerprints, voices, irises or faces that can be used for digital identification - seem merely a hallmark of science fiction. Whether it’s retina scans for security in Star Trek or payment by fingerprint in Back to the Future II, it has long been assumed that this sort of technology would stay confined to the realms of fantasy.

Yet, almost without noticing it, we have suddenly arrived in a world where these technologies are part of our daily lives - how many of us, for example, have a phone which grants access using a fingerprint scanner? As we hurtle into a future predicted on television, it’s time to ask the question: how far should we go?

One area in which biometrics has been pulling its weight is travel, particularly air travel. It is now commonplace to see facial recognition stands at security to verify passports, rather than a traditional manned booth. According to data from security officials in Australia, there is a 15% human error rate when checking passports, which could correspond to thousands of people granted admittance bearing fake passports. It is clear then, that biometrics could help plug this hole in security.

On a more personal level, biometrics could make travel a lot smoother and more efficient for us all. Facial recognition software at security can significantly reduce those dreaded queues at the airport, as well as cutting down disembarkation times on cruise ships and even being used for check in at hotels. It is possible, now, to foresee a time in which our whole journey is personalised to our face, from airline meals ordered in advance to pre-booked hire cars and even being greeted by a hotel room set to your perfect temperature. Perhap biometrics aren’t so bad after all!

“It is possible, now, to foresee a time in which our whole journey is personalised to our face” The real story of biometrics, however, is one of privacy. Dubai International Airport recently began developing a facial recognition tunnel designed to look like an aquarium, where colourful fish attract passengers’ attention in order to allow cameras to scan their faces. It is easy to imagine how this sort of technology might be used much more subtly - could we be sure that a colourful advertisement in the street wasn’t secretly scanning our face? And, once this data has been gathered, who has access and what can they do with it? In a nightmare scenario, companies and governments alike could be sharing this minute data in order to follow our every move; imagine a world in which biometrics are used to deliberately discriminate against people with certain characteristics.

The word biometric comes from the Greek - bio, meaning life, and metric, relating to measurement. A measurement of your life. So the next time you unlock your phone with your thumb, or sail through security using your face, take a moment to pause and ask yourself: is it worth giving up your identity for the sake of convenience? How much of your life are you prepared to have measured?

Kit Sinclair

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

ENTERTAINMENT

The Electronic Evolution of the Publishing Industry Jesse investigates how technological advancements have affected the publishing industry and the prevalence of ebooks.

With the UK on lockdown, the advancement of technology has never been more apparent.

Now that everybody is inside and relying solely on the internet for work and entertainment, it’s difficult not to appreciate how far industries have come for this sudden lifestyle change to have been possible. One particular change I’ve made is the switch from physical books to ebooks; in doing so, I’ve become more aware of the hidden evolution of the publishing industry which has made books so accessible, requiring only a screen and an internet connection.

The digitisation of books dates back to the early 1970s, when the Gutenberg Project first started uploading and archiving cultural works.

This volunteer-led project produced, for the most part, books in the public domain. The first mass market ebook, Stephen King’s novella Riding the Bullet was published later by Simon and Shauster in 2000. Despite its success, it wasn’t until recently that the ebook was considered to be commercially viable. One of the major turning points for the ebook was the release of the Amazon Kindle, a portable e-reader able to hold up to 200 books, making ebooks increasingly accessible.

e major h t f o e n “O oints for turning p k was the eboo se of the the relea Kindle, a n o z a m A e-reader portable old up to h o t le b a s” 200 book

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This technological evolution had a huge effect on the publishing industry. With no shipping, printing or storage costs, self-publishing ebooks has become an increasingly popular route for authors who use free self-publishing platforms to get their finished book out on the market within hours. Unlike the traditional publishing model, which requires an author to pay back their advance before receiving royalties, all the author has to pay to publish their book is the 10p/megabyte distribution charge.

There are many benefits of self-publishing: authors get to set their own book prices (though royalty options often give a min and max price band), the royalties are larger than those offered by most publishing houses and it allows the 90% of first time writers who have been rejected by top publishing houses to get their works out there. However, there are also downsides: without the assistance of editorial and marketing teams, self-publishers must do all the work themselves, driving up the costs of publication and decreasing the time they have for writing. The digital market has also created a space for a new type of publishing model, offering a middle ground between the traditional model and self-publishing. Digital publishers offer the same sort of assistance as traditional publishers, whilst also giving the author higher royalties and increased freedom and control over the marketing of their book.

The advancement of technology has massively changed the way we consume, produce and create books, with ebooks giving authors and readers alike greater choice. For publishers, it has created an interesting level of competition, whereby publishing houses are competing with digital publishing companies, authors and online pirates for sales. As it stands, physical books still outsell ebooks - however, it will be interesting to see how this trend changes as we increasingly move to a fully digital world.

“The advancement of technology has massively changed the way we consume, produce and create books”

Jesse Rough

Page & Graphic Design by Sarah MacAllan

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IMPACT

“Thanks to this technology digital storytelling is more collaborative because once you put something online, even with a simple blog or forum, you can co-write or design the stories”

IS GOING DIGITAL THE

INTERVIEW WITH

Emily explores how the arts can be accessed d digital storytelling and the e

Thanks to the unseen enemy of 2020, the opportunity for exploring new places has become a lot smaller. Or has it? Enter V21 Artspace: a company providing virtual reality tours of exhibitions, heritage sites, museums and galleries in locations all over the country! They use laser scanning as well as everyday media such as video, audio and photography to capture 360 views of indoor locations, so people explore them at their own pace from the comfort of their home.

There are plenty of instructions and/or demonstration videos that appear every time you click into a new exhibition so you can unlock all the details embedded in this virtual world. Some of my particular favourites are Hassan Hajjaj: The Path, whose colourful displays explore culture and identity in today’s modern, globalised world and Dinosaurs of China: Ground Shakers to Feathered Flyers which goes through how the great dinosaur became birds we see today.

Another area that is progressing in this technological age is Digital Storytelling. I was lucky enough to interview the university’s Dr Spencer Jordan- director of BA English and Creative writing, MA and PhD Creative writing. He has led some amazing projects from a final year Digital Story module to Lace2Place, an exhibition in the form of a digital cube that displayed the history of Nottingham Lace Markets!

Emily: So, what got you into Digital Storytelling after spending a lot of time studying humanities?

After doing a humanities degree I went into computer programming. There was a conversion course specifically for humanities students who had done a degree and wanted to get into that field. This was in the late 1980s, so I did that, and it introduced me to computers because I did my entire degree without touching a computer!

I was programming using Pascal (programming language) and I did that for a year but realised it wasn’t for me. I found it quite a lonely occupation, so I went back to do an MA in digital methods in history. This looked at the ways that digital technology and history could work together so we looked at things like databases and spreadsheets that were pretty new at the time but are now pretty much standard.

After my PhD I wrote a novel and that in some ways has a bit of technology in it too because it talks about the internet and how people were using it during its basic form at the time it was released in 2005. So, you could say I was always into digital technology.

“With digital storytelling, […] you can play around with interesting structures. You can start structuring things in a nonlinear way” Emily: What are the benefits of Digital Storytelling over traditional methods?

With digital storytelling, obviously, as a writer, you can play around with interesting structures. You can start structuring things in a nonlinear way that is based on where the reader wants to go in the form of a hypertext link. This means the reader is offered a choice. This releases you from the constraints of a standard book where you have to read from page one to the end.

Then there is also the fact you can add sound and video which you cannot do with a standard book. There have also been breakthroughs in locative digital storytelling from basic things like

ENTERTAINMENT

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E FUTURE OF THE ARTS?

“The idea of this lonely reader reading a polished book by big publishing houses in London has gone now and what we have instead are communities of storytellers and readers”

H DR. SPENCER JORDAN

digitally and chats to Dr. Spencer Jordan about electronic future of the arts.

scanning a QR code to using the technology found in your phone that picks up where you are, how you hold your phone and what angle you hold it at to show a story. Thanks to this technology digital storytelling is more collaborative because once you put something online, even with a simple blog or forum, you can co-write or design the stories.

Emily: Because you can work with people not typically associated with storytelling!

Yes! And this encourages a more community-based view of society. We are all sat at home now, so society has come back in fashion. Rather than sitting at home reading something by yourself you can go online, even just on a Kindle, and it can show you what other people are reading.

“Locative storytelling is also interesting as it is an app on your phone that triggers stories. They force you to get up and it takes you on a physical story outside your front door” Emily: What is the most exciting or unique technology you have come across with digital storytelling?

I think it is immersive storytelling where people can see, read and hear the story. An example of this is the Lace2Place cube which used video and sound to tell the stories of all the people who participated. Locative storytelling is also interesting as it is an app on your phone that triggers stories. They force you to get up and it takes you on a physical story outside your front door.

These stories can be set in specific places such as London with heritage and history tours but there are also digital novels.

One example is Breathe by Kate Pullinger which came out in 2018. The story app uses your GPS and camera and begins playing with data that your phone has collected about you to put into the story. This means this ghost story is never the same for any one person.

Emily: What do you think is the future of Digital Storytelling?

I think there are more and more people interested in storytelling through various mediums, not just digital. I think what we are living through now encourages people to communicate and reach out and to tell a story. Wellbeing and anxiety can be addressed through stories and I think it is something that people are more receptive to.

People are more interested to tell their stories and read other people’s which forms communities of storytelling. The idea of this lonely reader reading a polished book by big publishing houses in London has gone now and what we have instead are communities of storytellers and readers.

This is where digital storytelling can step in to help these tellers swap their stories in a more interesting and immersive fashion. ~ Many thanks to Dr Jordan for talking to Impact - I hope this article has given you something new to explore during these strange times.

Emily Wong

Illustration & Page Design by Chiara Crompton

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IMPACT

INNOVATIONS THAT TRANSFORMED CINEMA

Annabel explores innovations that have pushed the boundaries of cinema over the last century.

Filmmaking methods have advanced exponentially over the last century.

Revolutionary uses of engineering and visual effects (VFX) have inspired new storytelling structures and the use of low budget technology has enhanced the cinematic experiences of films over the past couple of decades.

One title is sure to be at the forefront of your mind when considering which films have technologically revolutionised the sci-fi genre, and this is, of course, Avatar.

“

It was his facial capture head rig and ‘Simulcam’, that allowed their expressions to be translated into computer generation thus giving them their iconic humanistic quality

”

This 60% CGI (computer generated imagery) film gained unprecedented popularity at box offices around the globe and it’s not hard to see why.

ENTERTAINMENT

The pioneering use of 3D technology gave this film its futuristic edge. By using a variety of new and innovative techniques and inventions, director James Cameron really pushed the boundaries of VFX in this sci-fi adventure. One way in which he achieved this was through his attempt to closely model the computer generated (CG) characters on actors Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington. It was his facial capture head rig and ‘Simulcam’, that allowed their expressions to be translated into computer generation. This gave them their iconic humanoid quality. Enabling the CG characters to convey emotion so realistically – and with ease – was ground-breaking.

It moved me to tears in a way no sci-fi film has been able to since. As for its legacy, it clearly encouraged a rise in cinematic standards, as people came to expect more from VFX-heavy films. I - along with countless fans - expect Cameron to push even more boundaries in 3D and VFX technology in the long-awaited sequel.

3D technology is not the only innovation to have drastically impacted film making, however. Certain narrative techniques are equally as fundamental in cinema’s evolution.

Considered a classic, Jaws revolutionised the way suspense is created through its unique storytelling structure. The shark only makes its first appearance a shocking 1 hour and 21 minutes into the film and has a grand total of 4 minutes of screen time. This was incredibly effective in heightening the atmosphere of suspense. Steven Spielberg’s method was revolutionary. By suggesting and teasing the presence of the shark, it gave the eventual reveal of this iconic antagonist a memorable and hard-hitting impact. Its success as a cinematic milestone is marked by subsequent films having attempted to emulate this successful ‘less is more’ structure.

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Considered a classic, Jaws revolutionised the way suspense is created through its unique storytelling structure

”

Alongside others, Jaume Collet-Serra’s 2016 film The Shallows similarly builds tension through a slow burn plot which teases the villainous shark’s presence, eventually coming to a head in an adrenaline filled finale sequence. Structuring the film in this way immerses the audience as they share in the experience of the character and the sense of dread that subsequently grows throughout the film.

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“

Using something as versatile as the iPhone 7+ presented a really fresh and innovative way of filming, proving that a high budget and equipment-heavy production is not necessary to create an unforgettable cinematic experience

”

More recently, director Steven Soderbergh has also had a pivotal impact on the future of filmmaking by performing a feat never before seen in mainstream cinema in his 2018 film Unsane – starring The Crown’s Claire Foy. This psycho-thriller follows Foy’s character as she slowly becomes paranoid that a staff member in her care facility is stalking her.

However there is more to this film than meets the eye, as you may be surprised to learn that it was shot entirely using the camera of an iPhone 7+. Recently, Soderbergh has claimed that this is where the future of cinema lies, and I agree. By choosing this unorthodox way of filming he was not only able to reduce the cost of production but also create an effect that really immersed viewers in the story of a woman losing her grip on reality. Using something as versatile as the iPhone 7+ presented a really fresh and innovative way of filming, proving that a high budget and equipment-heavy production is not necessary to create an unforgettable cinematic experience.

“

In this new age of filmmaking, the industry is becoming more widely accessible

”

In this new age of filmmaking, the industry is becoming more widely accessible. Hopefully, this will inspire a new generation of micro-budget filmmakers to make their mark on Hollywood.

With innovations such as these becoming more and more frequent, I, for one, cannot wait to see what they try next.

Annabel D’Monte

Illustrations & Page Design by Beth Dunnett

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IMPACT

NETFLIX: NETFLIX:

INNOVATION IN REALITY TV

Annabel takes a look into Netflix’s recent foray into ‘social experiment’ reality TV.

Because it actually described itself as an experiment.

Over the past few years there has been a resurgence in innovative non-fiction entertainment, from documentaries on Netflix, to Reality TV shows such as Love Island and I’m a Celebrity. However, another format has emerged: social experiments.

It admitted this at the very start and, throughout the series, stated that they had no expectation for the format to work nor did they predict any outcomes, which for viewers made it all the more interesting as the ending was (and I can attest to this) shockingly unpredictable. This created an atmosphere of shared curiosity into the journeys of people whose futures were at stake. This ultimately made it such an innovative format for the world of non-fiction entertainment.

“The showrunners distract us into overlooking and often ignoring the potential detrimental impact these shows have on participants in favour of their entertainment value for our voyeuristic population of telly addicts.

However, their entertainment value cannot be understated” This form of entertainment uses real people to prove or disprove a point or theory. It’s a concept that has recently come to the forefront and become more in demand for mainstream television. The showrunners distract us into overlooking and often ignoring the potential detrimental impact these shows have on participants in favour of their entertainment value for our voyeuristic population of telly addicts. However, their entertainment value cannot be understated.

A prime example of how this format of TV has blown up in recent times is through the popular American Netflix original Love is Blind. This concept saw multiple single men and women date each other through pods whereby they could only hear the other person’s voice, which (surprisingly) ultimately resulted in 5 proposals. The show then proceeded to document these couples’ short and artificially constructed journeys up to a wedding day where they must choose whether or not to say ‘I do.’

And, as if that wasn’t mental enough, this all happens in less than 40 days. Madness, I know. Now without giving away any spoilers, this had varying levels of success among the couples, with not all of them making it to ‘I do.’ However, while this might be considered by some as just another run-of-the-mill American reality TV programme, its popularity was astronomically high. But why?

However this is not the only exciting new format to be trialled on Netflix. Although it has not been nearly as popular, 100 Humans is another form of experimental TV whereby 100 people (supposedly a representative cross section of American society) are put through a series of tests in order to answer (yep, you guessed it) 100 questions. The idea that this show is not only for entertainment but also to discover and reveal the answers to real questions, is something that has undoubtedly intrigued viewers around the world. Similarly to Love is Blind, it appeals to viewers’ innate curiosity about people.

“The question of how ethical these experiments are hasn’t seemed to undermine their widespread popularity” With rumours that a second series of Love is Blind is in the works already, as well as people calling for a British version, the evidence would suggest that clearly, we are a nation that is entertained by experimental television and its voyeuristic and unpredictable quality. The question of how ethical these experiments are hasn’t seemed to undermine their widespread popularity, so I’m sure I’m not the only one eagerly waiting for the next crazily experimental and innovative TV show that Netflix producers can come up with.

Annabel D’Monte

Illustration & Page Design by Beth Dunnett

GAMING

NINTENDO AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE FAMILY CONSOLE

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Daisy investigates the secrets of Nintendo’s 40-year domination of family gaming.

Nicknamed the ‘FamCom’, Nintendo launched their second console, the ‘Family Computer’, in 1983. Today Nintendo has come a long way from these early models, but family gaming has remained the company’s USP ever since.

Fast forward to 2006, when Nintendo debuted the Wii. Competing with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Playstation 3, the Wii was a far more affordable, yet far less sophisticated, option for gamers.

While Xbox or PlayStation controllers can daunt the tech-illiterate, the Wii’s motion controls introduced a fool-proof system that even Grandma could get her head around. The Wii produced a generation that didn’t spend Christmas Day sitting around a Monopoly board, but jumped around the TV playing MarioKart instead, watching Mum accelerate into a wall for an entire race before declaring that she ‘thought she was on the top.’

Nintendo produced a type of gaming that was fun for kids but simultaneously accessible for adults, and seemed like a more sociable option for parents with technology-obsessed children.

“The Wii’s motion controls introduced a fool-proof system that even Grandma could get her head around”

Perhaps even more significant for Nintendo’s family gaming success is their immaculate branding. Basically gaming’s equivalent to Disney, franchises like Mario, JustDance and WiiSports are just as appealing to adults as they are children. Nintendo also revisit and reinvent their classic franchises, tempting a generation of nostalgic adults to buy their new console just to play the new Animal Crossing. With 12+ rated games on the Switch being few and far between, Nintendo’s brand is safe and inviting for parents who worry about the content of games available on other consoles.

During the Christmas of 2017 the Nintendo Switch was released, and I was “The Switch bridges working as an elf in Santa’s Grotto at a local garden centre. What was by far the most common present that school-age children would ask for? A Nintendo the gap between Switch.

So, these consoles clearly appeal to more than just adults. Following the flop of the WiiU’s experimental touchscreen tech, the Switch bridges the gap between portable gaming and traditional couch play. It gives children the privacy they gained from the DS and the opportunity to sit and play with their families, too.

portable gaming and traditional couch play”

While Xbox and Playstation have had their crack at child friendly franchises like Skylanders or Little Big Planet, they never had the staying power of the likes of Mario. Many of Nintendo’s most successful games are designed to be more fun when played in a group. While children enjoy the alternatives presented by other brands, those games are generally solo-focussed and have more complicated concepts that are harder for adults to engage with.

Again, for parents, Nintendo provides a much more sociable gaming alternative.

Nintendo’s level of judgement when creating family games far outstrips their competitors’. While Nintendo have created fun, sociable and accessible games for all the family, Xbox and PlayStation have hit just slightly off the mark. Their child-friendly brand helps them produce the perfect family-friendly consoles, and their knack for innovating technology (motion controls with the Wii, a touch screen for the WiiU, the Switch’s balance of portable and couch-play) will secure them the future.

Daisy Forster

Illustration by Abi Kara-Fernandes

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IMPACT

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: THE EVOLUTION OF LIVE MUSIC OVER TIME

Charlotte explores how live music has changed since its inception, and how we can seek to support our favourite acts and their work.

Modern mainstream live music began with the invention of the PA system in 1910 and electric amplifiers in the 1930s, taking a hold during the 1950s Rock & Roll era. In the 1970s, Pink Floyd led advances in visual effects using screens, strobes and pyrotechnics, adding another layer to the concert experience. The invention of MIDI technology in the 1980s also enabled bands and artists to explore new sounds. Over the years, live music has become louder and more experimental, having even been linked to an increase in cases of hearing problems such as tinnitus.

Since the rise of streaming and the slump in record sales, it has become more important than ever before.

soon. Nevertheless, there has never been a more important time to get out there and support your favourite artists: go to the small venues, check out the open mics and pay attention to the grass-roots music as well as the large-scale “As shows. Just always take well as your being kind to earplugs with the ears, these you.

The artists that can afford it have invested huge amounts of money into their live acts, turning gigs into elaborate shows with lighting, back-up dancers and display screens.

The exception to this rule seems to be Ed Sheeran, who still insists on playing his live shows solo with his trusty loop pedal and not much more. But that hasn’t stopped him selling out arenas. Unfortunately, this drive for sell-out arena performances has led to small venues struggling, many being taken over by sponsors such as O2, or demolished to make room for new buildings. In addition, the show itself cannot be realised without the work of the sound-engineers, lighting managers, tour-managers, support acts, artist liaison, venue managers, merchandise sellers, and various other key roles that now make live music a reality. The music has, in some ways, become just one cog in the concert.

intimate shows offer a more ‘authentic’ live experience. However, the more tickets you can sell, the more money you can make, so these gigs are suited mainly for up-and-coming artists or as one-off special appearances from bigger bands”

Despite this, there has been another wave of live music for fans who prefer a more acoustic experience. Secret shows known as ‘guerrilla gigs’ offer an exclusive and intimate experience, that is if you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. So far Sounds also offer a similar experience, hosting cozy concerts worldwide, from niche venues including offices, living rooms, and even caves. As well as being kind to the ears, these intimate shows offer a more ‘authentic’ live experience. However, the more tickets you can sell, the more money you can make, so these gigs are suited mainly for up-and-coming artists or as oneoff special appearances from bigger bands.

In conclusion, live music is now operating on the biggest scale we’ve ever seen, made possible by demand and technology, and made necessary by falling record sales. Whilst we have also seen a rise in the demand for smaller-scale living-room style concerts, we can’t escape the fact that the music industry, as with most industries, is driven by money. Since live music will continue to follow the goal of profit, it is unlikely that arena-shows will go out of fashion any time

Charlotte Evans

Graphic & Page Design by Sarah MacAllan

SPORTS SPORT

Our favourite sports stars are now closer to us than ever. Is this a good thing?

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Social media was made to bring us all together, this now includes our favourite sports stars, but should they be keeping their distance?

Any young athlete can now keep up with their favourite sports stars at the click of a button, no matter where they are in the world. Instagram, Twitter and the like now make it quite easy to know the intimate details of your favourite player’s life. There is now a feeling of connectedness that exists between fan and player that didn’t exist 10 years ago. As amazing as it probably is to now know what Cristiano Ronaldo had for breakfast, or what sort of wine LeBron James is drinking, the detriments of this newfound relationship are starting to mount up.

There’s no denying the obvious benefits social media has on sports, however, you would be right to question whether it’s worth the negativity that spreads through it. Many fans are now taking advantage of their proximity to athletes, using it to dispense hateful comments their way. Now, herein lies a

“Many fans are now taking advantage of their proximity to athletes, using it to dispense hateful comments

massive problem with interaction in the virtual world; nothing is off limits, and there are hardly any repercussions for the abuse one gives to another individual.

For players, utilising these applications is a no-brainer, the chance to increase your brand image, extend relations with fans and recently, provide a quite handy source of additional income through adverts. There is the argument though that perhaps players use it too much, so much so that it starts to become a distraction for them, being more concentrated on their image as opposed to their actual performances. That may seem an unfair conclusion though, as we wouldn’t attribute an employee’s lack of productivity over the time they spend selecting just the right filter on Instagram. This isn’t to say occasions haven’t arisen whereby players have seemingly crossed the line on some of their posts. Retweeting threads with questionable remarks, going too far when criticising officials or even picking petty fights on Twitter with fans, these are all incidents some of these stars have faced. With all of this, maybe it is a good idea for sports stars to keep their distance when it comes to social media?

Well, although its disadvantages

“There are beautiful moments that still exist as a result of athletes forming a close bond with their fans” are there for all to see, there are beautiful moments that still exist as a result of athletes forming a close bond with their fans online. For these players, making a kid’s day by responding to them, answering questions from fans or even engaging in some mild-mannered banter with a teammate can really be warming for all involved. And for fans, it’s a great chance to know more about their favourite players, as well as understanding that they’re indeed just regular people.

Perhaps this feeling of connectivity and closeness is worth protecting at all costs, isn’t that what we all want from social media?

Ben Ofungwu

Page Design by Shiyun Xiang

Image courtesy of Rawpixel.com

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IMPACT

A step too VAR? Social media was made to bring us all together, this now includes our favourite sports stars, but should they be keeping their distance?

Before football was postponed globally due to the outbreak of Covid-19, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) was undoubtedly the greatest source of controversy in the 19/20 season.

Outcry about its misuse amongst football fans transcends all clubs and nations, but anger within the UK towards its problems have reached even higher authorities since its introduction to the premier league.

West Ham and England international Declan Rice told Sky Sports in an interview following a crucial disallowed goal ‘I don’t think it’s just me, I think it’s the thought of every premier league player that we don’t want VAR in the game.’ The VAR discussion has even more recently been addressed in parliament, with Labour MP Toby Perkins who led the debate stating there was ‘almost universal agreement that the way VAR is currently being used in the EPL is bad for football.’

“On its surface, VAR should be a simple way to create uniformity in decisions” VAR, as described by FFA, is a means of assisting the referee with ‘clear and obvious errors’ or ‘serious missed incidents’ in four key situations: goals, straight red card incidents, penalty decisions and mistaken identities. On its surface, VAR should be a simple way to create uniformity in decisions, and greater fairness across the board. Unfortunately, there has been nothing simple about it. Take goal line technology for example, there

is a relative simplicity to whether a ball is over a line or not. With Lampard’s infamous disallowed goal still in the collective minds of English fans, goal line technology was met with little apprehension when it was introduced into the premier league soon after.

The attempted usage of VAR in hugely significant, and particularly subjective, incidents in a football match could therefore be seen as too much too soon. Perhaps if a staggered approach was taken, trialing the technology for individual rules, enabling referees to familiarise themselves with the technology, then this might be better for the long term success of VAR. Ultimately though, the concept of VAR is flawed, as the rules in which it attempts to influence are subjective.

Fans will continue to disagree with its decisions, just as they do with the ones made by on-field officials.

There would always be an element of opinion in football that allows fans to have their say, and display their thoughts in a manner that can rarely be outrightly rejected.

Similarly, this applies to referees - they often disagree amongst themselves as to what they deem a correct decision. Allowing referees to use the pitch side monitors may then be the best approach for negating the perceived disparity between the on-field referee and those monitoring the game electronically.

“As the rules in which it attempts to influence are subjective”

Interestingly, the rate of VAR overturning the original decisions in the EPL are outrageously low compared to Europe’s top leagues.

In the EPL, this sits at 32%—the closest to them being France’s Ligue 1 at 85%. This discrepancy has likely furthered the anger of British fans.

One thing’s for sure, without serious amendments to the current rules of football, and careful consideration as to how VAR should be used moving forward, fans will continue to chant ‘F**K VAR’ in stadiums across the world.

Joe Johnson

Page Design by Shiyun Xiang

Image courtesy of Rawpixel.com

SPORT

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How much has Technology affected sports?

This article explores the influence technology has had on the sports world in different parts of the industry.

On any given Saturday evening, as one prepares to watch the latest blockbuster clash of NBA giants, it’s often worth considering the vast technological input that goes into being able to watch a live event taking place 5000 or so miles away from one’s comfortable albeit slightly cramped student accommodation. This of course hasn’t always been the case.

It previously took weeks before one could receive the cursory salutations from a friend in a different continent, let alone live stream sports matches. However, as technology in the world has continued to improve at lightning speed, so have the sports we love.

Aside from the increased avenues of viewing, the analytical/scouting department has been a beneficiary of this improved technology, whether that is now being able to research the opposing team ad infinitum, or keeping an eye on the possible next big thing, wherever they are in the world. As you read this, I assure you that someone is currently scouring through tons of footage trying to find ‘the next Messi,’ or perhaps the next ‘Eric Dier.’

In many cases, finding them may even be the easy part, keeping them fit, however, is another headache. It’s fair to say this headache has been soothed by the latest medical equipment, much of which is able to

“As you read this, I assure you that someone is currently scouring through tons of footage trying to find ‘the next Messi’ or perhaps the next ‘Eric Dier’”

“The addition of tools like ‘hawk eye’ in tennis, and video replay in just about every sport have been just as great”

nurse injuries much faster than before, and, oftentimes, even prevent them. Not to mention the nutrition scientists that are now able to prescribe what one should be eating and just how much.

I doubt many of our tobacco-smoking sports heroes of the past had such available to them. Innovation in para-sports is just as marvelling; they now have access to facilities which ensure their athletes can now engage in sporting activities to the best of their abilities. Perhaps, as a result, many para-sports have seen a large growth in spectators and their overall profile.

The officiating of sports matches tends to be the source of constant debate amongst fans, the media and players themselves, however it’s fair to say technology has aided that too. This point may of course be a source of anger for the most ardent football fans who believe that the new instalment of technology—Video Assistant Referee (VAR)— and by far the most popular, is a plague sent from the gods of football. However, it’s difficult to argue that the prior addition of goal-line technology hasn’t improved the game greatly. Analogously, the addition of tools like ‘hawk eye’ in tennis, and video replay in just about every sport have been just as great. There’s also no doubting the benefits being able to build incredible stadiums can have on some teams. Flooding the seats on game days is still a potent source of revenue for any sports organisation, and building world class stadiums to lure people in is one way of doing just that.

With all these improvements, it’s tough to have any arguments about the influence of technology in sports. I have, however, skilfully left out the costs these bits of technology garner, but that’s an article for another day.

Ben Ofungwu

Graphic by Rachel Mortimer

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If you thought technology in sports was always clean, this article looks at just how some of the biggest sports companies seek to edge an advantage in rather questionable ways.

Sportswear today is almost unrecognisable from that which was worn a hundred years ago.

Technology is rapidly changing the face of sport, both in training and competition. Drawing the line between equipment that enables athletes to achieve their natural potential and sportswear that gives athletes a competitive advantage is an issue governing bodies are constantly debating.

The question of ‘how far is too far?’ is a subjective one. However, the drive to keep technology from changing the nature of sports is clear; to ensure podiums are accessible to people from all financial backgrounds, not just those who have access to money or brand sponsorship, and to maintain the spirit of sports.

Here are five pieces of technologically-driven sportswear, the use of which is up for debate:

“The issue lies in whether certain prosthetics give athletes an unfair advantage over the rest of the playing field, including able bodied athletes”

IMPACT

Technologi The Sportswear That M

Ever since Eliud Kipchoge achieved the first ever sub two-hour marathon time in October 2019, Nike’s Vaporfly shoe range has been thrust to the media forefront.

Kipchoge wore Alphaflys, a version of the Vaporfly which Nike claims improves metabolic efficiency by 4%. Looking at the shoes, whose soles might be thicker than Kipchoge’s legs, you can begin to imagine why. The Alphafly’s composition is revolutionary. Its sole is made up of three carbon fibre plates and two layers of Zoom Air Cushioning Pods, which, when combined, have a trampoline effect.

In response to Kipchoge’s race, as well as cases where it was found on other record breaking athletes, the World Athletics federation made two amendments to their regulations on shoe design. As of January 2020, competition shoes can only have one carbon fibre plate and soles no thicker than 40mm. Nike have since responded with the Alphafly Next % which comply with these regulations. The Tokyo games will tell whether Nike are still at the forefront of the innovative shoe race.

At the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi 2014, Columbia’s Ski suits, worn by the American, Canadian and Russian teams came under fire. The suit’s designs were more advanced than ever before. Their waterproof zips were the lightest in the world and their patented Omni-Heat Thermal Reflective technology improved heat management whilst using less fabric. However, these aspects weren’t the issue with regulators.

Instead, people questioned the legitimacy of the snow camouflage graphic design on suits given to mogul skiers which made it difficult for judges to distinguish body movement. In mogul ski events, athletes are judged on just that. Nothing was done to prevent this design being used then or in the future, however, it was a point of contention during the games.

“At the 2008 Olympic games, twenty-three of the twenty-five athletes who broke swimming world records were wearing this costume”

SPORT

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ical Doping: Makes and Breaks Sports

One of the most notorious sports bans of all time is that of Speedo’s LZR Racer Swimsuit. Designed with NASA, the full body suit, which was made from polyurethane and neoprene, compressed swimmers’ bodies into a streamlined shape whilst trapping air, which resulted in less drag and added buoyancy.

The suits also had a sharkskin like textured quality, which served to further reduce drag. At the 2008 Olympic games, twenty-three of the twenty-five athletes who broke swimming world records were wearing this costume. FINA attributed this unbelievable result to technological doping. They subsequently banned the swimsuit, and any other full bodysuits on the market. Shortly after, they were also made to ban zipped costumes to prevent companies turning to wetsuit like costumes following the initial ban. Unfortunately, the ban of full body suits at a competitive level is a barrier to some religious athletes’ progress. Some national swimming bodies, such as Britain’s Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), have recognised this issue and responded by enabling those swimmers to wear full body outfits provided the fabrics used are allowed by FINA.

Canterbury’s Ionised shirt technology was first showcased on the rugby scene at the 2007 World Cup. Ionised jerseys, which are made from a fabric containing a negatively charged electromagnetic field, are believed to perform better via increasing blood flow, meaning muscles receive more oxygen. The supposed result is a heightened overall power output and faster recovery times, which over time, can make significant changes to an athlete’s performance. Their place on the pitch caused a commotion as critics dubbed the shirts ‘wearable steroids.’ However, the World Anti-Doping Agency did not, and still have not, outlawed the shirts due to a lack of scientific evidence showing the relationship between the shirts and enhanced performance.

“The supposed result is a heightened overall power output and faster recovery times”

Prosthetic limbs are not considered sportswear in the same sense as the examples above, but they have been the subject of criticism in the past over claims of technological doping. The issue lies in whether certain prosthetics give athletes an unfair advantage over the rest of the playing field, including able-bodied athletes. For example, in 2009, it was revealed that two-time Paralympic medallist, Oscar Pistorius, was using prosthetic lower legs that were making him fifteen to twenty percent faster than he would be with natural legs. Fun fact: his prosthetics were made from the same carbon fibre used in Nike’s Alphafly shoe. Pistorius has also been on the other end of this battle, arguing that in the 2012 Olympic Games, two hundred metres winner, Alan Oliveira, was using unfairly long blades which enabled him to take fewer and greater strides. Both athletes were within regulations, yet the accusations go to show the surface of the struggle in defining what equipment is permitted in the Paralympic sporting world.

As sportswear technology develops, techno-doping continues to draw the spotlight away from substance doping. Sports’ governing bodies will always want to ensure medals are awarded for talent and hard work but keeping up with companies who are pumping money into research to produce the freshest gear is a race in itself.

Maya Israel

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

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Game Changers: The Tactical Evolution of English Football James Hurman takes a deep dive into how the tactics around the sport we all know and love have changed over time here in England.

For decades, while Europe adopted the 4-3-3, set up for a fluid style, English football was ruled by the more rigid and pragmatic 4-4-2. But what preceded it and how has the influx of foreign managers in the last 25 years evolved the English game?

In 1888/89, Preston North End won the first ever English Football League title, going unbeaten with 18 wins and 4 draws, as well as winning the FA Cup. The team lined up in an attacking 2-3-5 pyramid formation, averaging an impressive 3.4 goals per game. The two full-backs (most equivalent to modern day centre-backs) would stay back, sweeping up long balls. In possession, the centre-half would drop between the two to receive the ball and look to distribute from deep, much like a Xabi Alonso or Pirlo. Wingers sought to stretch defences wide to open up the channels and half-spaces.

The next great change in English football was initiated by Herbert Chapman. He developed the 3-2-2-3 W-M formation, offering more balance between attack and defence. The centre-half was moved back to form a back 3, and the attacking midfielders dropped in behind the front three to dictate the play. This innovation shored up the back line and overloaded creative, technical players between the opposition lines, giving them space

“This innovation shored up the back line and overloaded creative, technical players between the opposition lines, giving them space to turn and look for an incisive pass or shot”

“Arsène Wenger was the first manager to marry European style and English physicality” to turn and look for an incisive pass or shot.

In 1953, England were beaten for the first time on home soil, by Hungary in a 6-3 thrashing, due to their unwillingness to adapt to European tactical trends. The outdated W-M was too rigid to deal with Hungary’s fluid False 9 formation, as they couldn’t mark the False 9 without leaving space in behind.

England’s 1966 World Cup triumph deployed the ‘wingless wonders’ 4-1-3-2 formation. The transition to four at the back allowed for zonal defending with a numerical advantage over the commonly used front 3. The use of a designated defensive midfielder allowed key players such as Bobby Charlton to operate as attacking midfielders. This direct style overloaded central areas, and the lack of wingers drew the fullbacks out to the wide midfielders, opening space in the channels for the strikers to attack.

By the 1970s, 4-4-2 was the standard formation and remained so, well into the 2000s.

With two banks of 4, it was compact, and very difficult to break down, whilst providing a counter attacking threat from wingers who were often quick, athletic and skilful on the ball. Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams throughout the 90s and early 00s exemplified this. Fullbacks like Irwin and Neville had mostly defensive roles, freeing Beckham and Giggs to provide the width and creativity. Scholes and Keane were both industrious midfielders, adept at attacking and defending, with Keane acting more as a ball-winner and Scholes a playmaker. Their

SPORT

“Although both Klopp and Guardiola set up in a 4-3-3 formation, Guardiola’s vertical tiki-taka seeks to create numerical overloads”

to break down. During back to back title winning seasons, Chelsea conceded just 15 goals in 38 games in 2004/05, the fewest of any team in English top-flight history.

Subsequently, the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 replaced the 4-4-2 in the Premier League.

strikers often consisted of one support player, such as Sheringham, Cantona or Rooney, and one poacher such as Solskjaer or Van Nistelrooy, who sought to benefit from the chances created by their strike partners.

The 4-4-2 suited the fast and physical nature of English football. Arsène Wenger was the first manager to marry European style and English physicality, winning 3 league titles and 4 FA Cups with Arsenal in his first 10 years in England, most memorably the 2003/04 invincible season.

Whilst defending in a 4-4-2, his teams had great fluidity in possession. He looked to stagger the lines; Gilberto dropped while Vieira looked to break the lines. Bergkamp would drop into the hole to receive the ball in space between the midfield and defence, freeing space in behind for Henry to exploit with his pace. Wenger often built attacks from the left flank, with Pires drifting inside, using his dribbling and vision to create chances. This was the birth of the now commonplace inverted winger. ‘Wengerball’ used quick, short passing to open up opposition defences, rather than building quickly with long balls to the wings or target man like a traditional 4-4-2.

The arrival of José Mourinho’s 4-3-3 system at Chelsea allowed him to outnumber the 4-4-2 in midfield, and a designated defensive midfielder (Makélélé) gave extra protection to the defence, making his teams very difficult

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“By the 1970s, 4-4-2 was the standard formation and remained so, well into the 2000s”

The two most influential managers in English football currently are Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

Klopp developed Gegenpress, an aggressive form of team pressing, which he has brought to Liverpool, aiming to play with a high intensity both in and out of possession.

Allison, Van Dijk and Gomez possess the ability to start attacks quickly with accurate long passes, looking to get at the opposition defence before they have time to organise. Similarly, out of possession, their intensity forces opponents into errors, winning the ball in advanced areas. The system exploits Salah and Mané’s pace and directness. With Firmino deep, drawing defenders out, this leaves space for the wingers looking to get in behind the defence. The fullbacks are the main creative outlets with their incisive passes and crosses from wide.

The three midfielders are left covering the space vacated by the fullbacks.

Although both Klopp and Guardiola set up in a 4-3-3 formation, Guardiola’s vertical tiki-taka seeks to create numerical overloads. Unlike most modern fullbacks who look to overlap on the wings, Guardiola uses inverted fullbacks, adding more numbers in midfield. In possession, the defensive midfielder will stay back, the inverted fullbacks will push up alongside, and the defence holds a high line with the goalkeeper sweeping behind. This allows the midfielders to attack higher up. The wingers provide the width, stretching the defence to open up the half - spaces for players like De Bruyne and Silva to attack. In these areas they are perfectly placed to create numerous chances. In possession Guardiola’s side appear as a 2-3-5, playing exactly the same formation as the Preston North End of 1888/89.

James Hurman

Illustration & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee

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IMPACT

IMPACT Impact’s 2019/2020 committee comes together to compose a poem about what we’ve been up to during the Coronavirus lockdown.

Man’s never been in Lenton when it’s lockdown, eh?

Trusss me when I tell you of that strange affair…

Isolation? More like procrastination- all the time in the world yet nothing’s getting done dissertation looming and all you’re doing is making Mary Berry’s iced buns Keen to procrastinate, I flick through Impact’s back copies Get lost in past articles, catch myself feeling soppy Stuck inside; outdoors at least the sun shines- for all the times I’ve said I’d run ‘tomorrow’ Each day scrolling through Instagram for workouts I pretend to follow Staring at posters on my wall, I hum a tune I do not know Not composing, writing or plotting, my thoughts just wander to and fro Words are lost in hopeless wifiunproductive me and time in oversupply.

Been reading, writing, you know the whole bunch, but I’m starting to miss the occasional brunch I’m now on Duolingo attempting to learn français As I’ve already taken the dog on six walks today running out of shows to binge, still debating cutting a fringe…

My jeans must be wondering what they did wrong, Maybe I should stop wearing pyjamas all day long?

Every night I go to bed and dream about the pub Oh, to be in a beer garden with a pint and a bowl of grub!

Survivin n thrivin by walkin n talkin, Witnessing the extraordinary: a ninety nine year old completes his hundredth lap, raises twenty nine million The five mile run I did felt like five billion!

Bursts of sun boost serotonin, embracing sunbeams gladly Lifting spirits for Zoom calls or board games with the family.

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IN ISOLATION Written by: Katie Moncur (Editor-in-Chief) Alice Reading (Welfare Officer) Emily Casey (Features Editor) Emily Hall (Head of Features) Lauren Winson (Arts Editor) Will Phillips (Deputy Online Editor) Francesca Hadland (Online Editor) James Hurman (Print Editor) Jack Richardson (Gaming Editor) Mateus de SĂ (Music Editor) Phoebe Raine (Head of Podcasts) Akshata Kasiwal (External Manager) Ben Ofwungu (Sport Editor) Harriet Mills (Style Editor) Rowan Perry (Travel Editor) Nina Sasha (Head of Images) Mia Haffety (Head of News) Niamh Robinson (Comment Editor) Anna Scott (Head of Lifestyle) Jenny Katte (Food Editor) Joe Paternoster (Science Editor) Natasha Phang-Lee (Artistic Director) Ibrahim Lakhanpal (Film and TV Editor) Megan Bowie (Social Media Assistant)

Illustration & Page Design

by Natasha Phang-Lee

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IMPACT

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IMPACT

This year Impact gained its first head of podcasts, started creating a wide range of content and now our podcasts are bigger, better and easier to find than ever. Our latest achievement is the appearance of Impact Podcasts on iTunes, free to download and listen to whenever you like!

Our content ranges from updates on the news and Nottingham-based suggestions to feminist history, MMA discussions and film explorations. Our contributors work hard to entertain, all you have to do is sit back and listen!

Want to listen? Cast your eyes on... https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/impact-podcasts/id1507786129 Want to join? Pod on over to...

Impact Podcasts 19/20 on Facebook!

Phoebe Raine

Illustrations for this page and previous BLM pages

by Katherine Gomes

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THE TEAM E D I TO R I A L Editor-in-Chief Print Editor

Katie Moncur James Hurman

ONLINE Online Editor Web Developer App Developers

Deputy Online Editors

MANAGEMENT External Manager Social Media Assistant Welfare Officer

Francesca Hadland Ben Henaghan Ben Henaghan Mia Mukherjee Jennifer Peck Will Phillips

DESIGN AND IMAGES Artistic Director Head of Illustrations Head of Images Associate Designers

Natasha Phang-Lee Katherine Gomes Nina Shasha Chiara Crompton Beth Dunnett Abi Kara-Fernandes Bersun Kilinc Sarah MacAllen Rachel Mortimer Amy Ridehalgh Shiyun Xiang

SECTIONS

Head of News Mia Haffety News Editor Olivia Stock Head of Features Emily Hall Features Editor Emily Casey Comment Editor Niamh Robinson Head of Lifestyle Anna Scott Food Editor Jenny Katte Science Editor Joe Paternoster Style Editor Harriet Mills Travel Editor Rowan Perry Head of Entertainment Ben Standring Arts Editor Lauren Winson Film/TV Editor Ibrahim Lakanpal Gaming Editor Jack Richardson Music Editor Mateus de Sรก Head of Reviews

Jia Wei Lum Akshata Kasliwal Reviews Editor May Perrin Megan Bowie Head of Sports Callum McPhail Alice Reading Sports Editor Ben Ofungwu Head of Podcasts Phoebe Raine

Illustration by Katherine Gomes