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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

@berthac.bsky.social

2.5K followers 760 following 740 posts

Fan, celebrity & cultural studies academic. Senior lecturer in media & cultural studies @ NUS, Singapore. Opinions my own. Intermixing posts on shows I'm watching, fandoms, politics, academia & work

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · Mar 27

Probably the most fun I had recording a podcast! Thanks to @giagia.co.uk and Tim Vermeulen for inviting me to come on and ramble about #fandoms and #fancultures!

40. Fandom - Bertha Chin open.substack.com/pub/theclust...

40. Fandom - Bertha Chin

Bertha Chin is a Senior Lecturer in Communications And New Media at the National University of Singapore.

open.substack.com

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 1d

But the show totally lost me when armed private army started shooting up a street in Seoul like it was your generic American city. And people just stood by and watch. Nope. And this was the time when there was so much news about Netflix's show Trigger being violent.

Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 1d

I applaud what DDK was trying to do with this, but I had so many issues with the show. Chief of which, it felt like it was trying to fit America into an Asian/Korean context rather than integrating both. Maybe it was the IP itself...
www.weareresonate.com/2025/10/dani...

Daniel Dae Kim’s 'Butterfly' Canceled By Prime Video After One Season

Prime Video cancels Daniel Dae Kim’s Butterfly, ending the Korea-set spy thriller exploring identity, loyalty, and redemption

www.weareresonate.com

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 2d

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado wins Nobel peace prize

Opponent of Maduro regime receives award and praise for keeping ‘flame of democracy burning’

www.theguardian.com

Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 3d

First they went for the comedians, and now they’re going after academics.…

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport

Rutgers University professor who published book on antifa was informed at boarding gate that his trip was cancelled

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 5d

They know it's not true, but that's not the point.

"Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America" www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America

A federal judge had blocked Trump’s request to deploy California national guard to Portland

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 4d

Because at the end of the day, what the Tories want are mindless generations they can bend to their populist will, and everyone will pander to their lies. For the first time ever, I’m glad I left the UK

Tim Worthington @outonbluesix.bsky.social · 4d

How is this repeatedly made into a policy issue - by *all* parties - when the blunt fact of the matter is that grown adults who are obliged to pay for their own education, and relentlessly pursued to repay their loans, should be able to study whatever the fuck they want.

Reposted by Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

Dr Ian McCormick @wokestudies.bsky.social · 4d

Death by logic!

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Reposted by Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

Dr Heidi Colthup @heidi-colthup.bsky.social · 4d

There are no courses that "lead to poor graduate outcomes"
They've already been closed.
But who decides what a good or poor outcome is? A highly paid job? That rules out teachers, librarians, curators, researchers, academics, junior doctors, nurses,

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 4d

'The party would introduce caps on funded courses that consistently “lead to poor graduate outcomes”, allowing it to invest further in the “apprenticeship revolution” it started, it said. Remaining funding will be used to support high-quality courses at research-intensive British universities.' 3/3

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 5d

Seriously, Gmail, I'm very capable of reading my own emails. There's no need for Gemini to flash a reminder asking if I need to summarise the emails everytime I click on one! Ffs

Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 5d

1. Ringu (has to be the OG version)
2. Shutter (OG Thai version)
3. Phone (2002)
4. Poltergeist

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Reposted by Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

Harms Committed @harmscommitted.com · 7d

Netanyahu: "We have to fight back. How do we fight back? Our influencers."

"[I]nfluencers are likely being paid around $7,000 per post on social media such as Tik Tok and Instagram on behalf of Israel."
#Israel #Gaza #Palestine #USA #Genocide

Influencers Are Being Paid $7K Per Post to Boost Pro-Israel Social Media Content

“We have to fight back. How do we fight back? Our influencers," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

truthout.org

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 7d

Pretty sure it took a lot less for these people to label others as authoritarian when it’s not happening in their own backyard

Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 7d

This is not a surprise to anyone on Bluesky. "A survey of more than 500 political scientists finds that the vast majority think the United States is moving swiftly from liberal democracy toward some form of authoritarianism." www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...

Hundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism

Most — but not all — political scientists are deeply troubled by the president's attempts to expand executive power, according to a national survey.

www.npr.org

Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 8d

I mean, really? In today’s era, you want a show where a main character based on a real life historical figure is a tyrant emperor?! Really?! And you want to soften his tyranny by making it into a rom-com?! Yeah, no. Not for me.

Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 8d

Glad I waited till all episodes of Tempest was released before I binged through the last 4 episodes. Ah, Korean dramas and their ambiguous endings! Also, this is more my speed than the record-breaking Bon Appétit, Your Majesty. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Reposted by Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 10d

1/ Around the world, governments are tripping over themselves as they abandon the centre and lean right. But what they are ignoring is that you don’t beat fascism by borrowing from its playbook. Copying the far right’s language or tactics doesn’t weaken them; it normalizes them.

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Reposted by Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 10d

There were two paths for America and Lilith Fair was one of them. Sadly it chose the other | Emma Brockes

The all-female music festival from the 90s was a counterpoint to that era’s misogyny. Trump’s US could do with some of that hope and promise today, says Guardian columnist Emma Brockes

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 10d

www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...

Jane Fonda relaunches free speech group started by her father during the McCarthy era

In wake of the Trump administration’s censorship threats, the actor re-established the Committee for the First Amendment with A-list support

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 12d

The US, becoming a military state run by a dictator right before our eyes. Again, if this was any other country (in Asia) other than the US, the world would be up in arms and be a lot more accusatory. Ah, the double standards.

Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 12d

It shouldn't be fear, Guardian. It's exasperation; and of course it's a female actor that's being created here, one where directors and producers can just bend to their will without care for ethics.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 12d

Tilly Norwood: how scared should we be of the viral AI ‘actor’?

A bunch of code is being pushed as the next Scarlett Johansson, a creation that is already causing pushback from real human actors

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 12d

Sometimes, when I listen to people from other disciplines talk about fandom, I feel like telling them, here is a list of books and journal articles that address the fan practices you were talking about as if they were new (in this case, we would call it material fandom) 👀🤨

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 12d

"People are realising that their creativity doesn't need to be boxed in by a budget. There are no constraints creatively and that's why AI can really be a positive."

Yes, it’s called animation.

cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainmen...

Creator says AI actress Tilly Norwood is 'piece of art' after Hollywood backlash

Tilly Norwood – a composite girl-next-door described on her Instagram page as an aspiring actress – has already attracted attention from multiple talent agents.

cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com

Reposted by Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

Teen Vogue @teenvogue.com · 13d

Some people are less than excited about Bad Bunny headlining the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show, and took to social media to spout racist backlash about it: www.teenvogue.com/story/bad-bu...

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show Is Already Pissing Off Racists

"This is for my people, my culture and our history." 🇵🇷

www.teenvogue.com

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Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 13d

People kept talking about Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, and I just keep waiting for the food to appear. Gave up 30 minutes in. Clearly I’m not the target market; still can’t stand these kind of Korean romance-dramas. I’m just going to wait for the rest of Tempest to be released.

Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 13d

Politicians appear to have become stupid. Why in the world would you need to vote on whether a genocide is happening when it’s right in front of your eyes!?

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Labour conference to vote on whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

Motion backed by unions calls for tougher action, including trade suspension, to end risk of UK complicity

www.theguardian.com

Dr Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 14d

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Far-right Facebook groups are engine of radicalisation in UK, data investigation suggests

Rioters were influenced by network that exposes hundreds of thousands of Britons to racist disinformation, Guardian research indicates