Author: Patricia HämäläinenTitle and subtitle (English): Today's sources of inspiration - A qualitative study of how followers perceive and are influenced by influencers on InstagramLanguage: Swedish Pages: 39  Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate how 18–30-year-old women’s on Instagram are affected by influencers' publications on Instagram. What factors play a role for Instagram users to start follow and unfollow influencers on Instagram. Method: The study is based on a qualitative method been used by an of a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. The method is well suited for answering this type of question and therefore this type of method has been used. One survey and 3 depth interviews have been conducted with women aged 18-30 who follow Influencers on Instagram. The respondents answered questions that concern their opinions, perceptions and experiences about influencers they themselves follow on Instagram. Result / analysis: Respondents tend to compare their opinions and skills with influencers they follow on Instagram. Comparisons take place when individuals experience a sense of equality and belonging with the comparison group. Previous research suggests that it is more common for individuals to compare themselves with an environment that they experience as better than themselves (Festinger 1954). Conclusion: The conclusion of the study shows that the main reasons why young women start following influencers on Instagram are to be inspired and motivated, but the experience of friendship and belonging also plays a significant role. The respondents' experiences reflect Festinger's (1954) theory of how people often compare their opinions and skills in relation to their surroundings, which can then affect young women's mental health.

Tiktok was the world’s most visited website in the year 2021 and is one of the fastest growing applications with a large quantity of users in several countries. Every month, more than 1 billion people around the world use TikTok. The aim of the study is therefore to gain an understanding of how Swedish TikTok-users between ages 18-30 experience the application, by exploring their options about the application user interface, usability and features. A semi-structured interview was conducted as a qualitative data collection method. A theoretical view of the study is based on affordance, teachability and visibility. The result of the study shows that TikTok is perceived as an application that is easy to learn as the user interface works the way the users expect it to. Therefore, it did not take a long time for the participants to understand how to interact with the application. It also emerged that TikTok’s features are perceived as visible and easily accessible. Many of the features’ symbols were already known to the users and they therefore understood how to use them. The participants had suggestions for more features which could possibly increase the usability of the application, such as being able to check their viewing history to find videos.

There is a discrepancy in research within library and information science in the use of the concept non-user, and no research about librarians’ use of the concept can be found. If librarians define the concept differently it may affect how they share experiences with one another and how they design outreach towards library non-users. An Evolutionary concept analysis of the concept in relation to public libraries is carried out based on the use of the concept in a survey answered by librarians, and research literature. The study supports results from previous studies of non-users and finds that the concept non-user is applied in different manners. The results show that there are similarities in the application of the concept with attributes relating to the non-use of the library, when or if use occurred and as a challenge. The differences found are mostly based on the context of application such as between research literature and librarians’ usage but also in regards to geographical location and the speciality of the librarians. The main finding is the difference in the use of the concept non-user, where the research literature and inner city librarians have a more conservative use than librarians in general and the librarians in the outer par tof the city. This study contributes to a broader understanding of the concept non-user and how the context can affect the use of the concept and how the concept can be applied in these contexts.

The aim of this study is to see how users of the public library positions librarians with their competencies and to compare this to librarians' own thoughts about their competencies. The research questions were as follows 1) How do the public librarians, who participated in our study, view their competencies? 2) How do users, who participated in our study, view the competencies of public librarians? 3) Are there any similarities or differences between the users and the librarians views about the public librarians competencies? The method is semi-structured interviews with six librarians and five users. The data was then analyzed with positioning theory. The results show that users positioned librarians as a profession characterized by pleasant and service minded professionals with useful literature knowledge. The librarians positioned themselves in a profession where assisting their users is the main goal, that every competence matters because one never know who one is meeting and what their needs might be.

Användarutbildning är en viktig del för i stort sett alla företag som använder någon formav informationssystem. Även om man oftast inser hur viktigt det är med denna utbildningär den ofta lågt prioriterad med för liten budget.Detta arbete är en fallstudie som görs på ett företag som medverkar anonymt. Studienhar som syfte att studera det aktuella utbildningsläget inom företagets affärssystem. Resultatet som studien ger kommer att användas som en grund för beslutsfattning kringhur utbildningsplanen på företaget ska se ut i framtiden. För att nå slutsatsen studerarvi litteratur inom området användarutbildning. Vi utför även en fältstudie på företagetdär den aktuella klassrumsbaserade utbildningsformen observeras. Avslutningsvis genomförs en enkätundersökning där användarna av affärssystemet ger sina intryck av utbildningen.Slutsatsen vi kan komma fram till är att företaget har behov av att göra en plan förkontinuerlig utbildning av anställda och se över möjligheterna att införa flerutbildningsformer. Vi ser även ett stort intresse från personalens sida att få möjlighetenatt ha mänsklig kontakt både vid utbildning och vid support/helpdesk ärenden. Av deanvändare som var med i undersökningen ansåg en stor andel att de har lätt för att arbetamed datorer som hjälpmedel. De hade också uppfattningen att datorer förenklar derasarbete och att de grundläggande kunskaperna de besitter är tillräckliga för att användaen dator. / User training is an important part of virtually all companies that use some form ofEnterprise Information System (EIS). Even if the importance of this education is oftenrealized, it is often given low priority and a small budget.This work is a case study at a company that participates anonymously. The study is aimedat examining the current educational situation of a company's EIS. The result will providea basis for decision making regarding what the curriculum should look like in the future.In order to reach a conclusion, we study the current literature in the field of end usertraining. We perform a field study were we will observe classroom-based training. Finallywe conduct a survey in which users of the EIS give their impressions of the training theyreceive.The conclusion reached is that the company needs to make a plan for continuous trainingof employees and review opportunities to introduce more educational possibilities. We alsosee a lot of interest from employees to have the ability to have human contact, both duringtraining and during support/help desk issues. Of the users who took part in the survey, alarge percentage felt that they had no issues working with computers as a tool. They alsohad the perception that computers simplify their work and that they possess the basicskills to use a computer.

Gamification in informationsystem and it´s influence on the users is processed in this study. Gamification means bringing elements from the gaming community and applicate them in another context. Purpose of the study is to look closer to how the users affects by gamification in informationsystem and also identify important aspects from a user-perspective point of view. To perform this study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were made, including nine users of a gamified informationsystem. The conclusion is the following: Gamification influence the commitment, working conditions, performance and progress of the users in a significant way. 17 elements important to consider from a user-perspective point of view when using gamification in informationsystem has been detected. / Denna studie behandlar gamifiering av informationssystem och gamifieringens påverkan på användarna. Gamifiering innebär att ta element ifrån spelvärlden och applicera dem i ett annat sammanhang, här ett informationssystem. Syftet med studien är att identifiera faktorer som ur ett användarperspektiv är viktiga att ta hänsyn till vid gamifiering av informationssystem. För att genomföra denna undersökning har semistrukturerade djupintervjuer genomförts med nio användare av ett gamifierat informationssystem. Resultatet visar att gamifieringen påverkar användarnas engagemang, arbetssituation, prestation samt utveckling. Baserat på resultatet ges förslag på 17 faktorer, som ur ett användarperspektiv är viktiga att ta hänsyn till vid användandet av gamifiering i informationssystem.

Sammanfattning Syfte: Undersökningen har ämnat kartlägga resonemanget hos systemutvecklare angående användarmedverkan vid systemutveckling både i fråga om hur det används och hur synen på användarmedverkan ter sig. Med begreppet användarmedverkan syftas i denna studie all inblandning av användare vid utvecklingsprocessen från start till slut samt eventuellt efterarbete. Med användare menas både slutanvändare som kund och annan lämplig person som kan vara potentiell användare och som inte är en medlem av utvecklingsteamet. Inriktningen har varit på utvecklare inom konsultföretag i Örebro som arbetar med systemutveckling. Metod/ansats/frågor: En kvalitativ ansats har utförts där fyra huvudkategorier av frågor har ställts upp för respondenterna i semi-strukturerade intervjuer. De fyra kategorierna är som följer: hur det arbetas med användarmedverkan, varför det arbetas på angett sätt, hur det har arbetats med användarmedverkan tidigare samt hur det skulle vara önskvärt att arbeta under idealtypiska förhållanden. Analysmetoden av de utförda intervjuerna har ställts mot ett ramverk av kategorier som även byggt upp intervjufrågorna. Det sammanställda resultatet har jämförts med tidigare forskning om användarmedverkan och med fallstudier kring användarcentrerade ansatser i företag som arbetar med systemutveckling. Resultat: Konsulterna ansåg att användarmedverkan är väldigt viktigt vid systemutveckling men upplever att de inte har möjlighet att jobba med användarmedverkan i den utsträckning de önskar. De anser dessutom att kunden prioriterar bort användarmedverkan i vissa delar av utvecklingen.

The purpose of the present qualitative study is to create knowledge about librarydigital services and their marketing to patrons with disabilities in Armenia, on theexample of the National Library of Armenia, as well as, to discover opinions of theNLA librarians and patrons with disabilities about the importance of library digitalservices to people with disabilities. Literature review and qualitative interviewing has been employed as methods to collect the empirical data. The results have been analyzed and discussed based on the library-marketing model of marketing research, marketing segmentation, marketing mix strategy and marketing evaluation suggested by Koontz & Gubbin (2010). It has been concluded, that 1) e-accessibility issomething new at the NLA and the NLA does not provide equally available knowledge, resources, services, facilities to patrons with disabilities, because of the following main challenges: lack of continuous funding and support from the state, lack of appropriate facilities and technologies, lack of qualified staff, and historicallyinherited library infrastructure impediments; 2) no library service marketing is conducted to patrons with disabilities at the NLA; 3) the opinions are that provisionwith such services is very important to people with disabilities, since they allow those people to gain access and use information in formats adopted to their various needs, and, of course, they become integrated into the modern society. The important role of a library as a non-discriminator and copyright protector in a developing country when delivering digital library services to patrons with disabilities has also been discovered. / Program: Masterprogram: Biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap, Digitala bibliotek och informationstjänster

To remain relevant, even the successful social networks need to evolve. Vertical Social Networks (VSN) are the response of this, satisfying people who are seeking more niched and personalized content. However, this is a highly competitive environment where taking advantage of the first mover advantages is crucial for the future success. This study concerns diffusion of innovations and segmentation according to the technology adoption lifecycle to investigate how a VSN can reach user growth by understanding their current users better. We have built this study upon an explorative case study of a case company operating in the VSN landscape providing their users with an application. Building on extensive literature research, theory, surveys and conducting interviews, differences in user characteristics were identified. Theoretical and empirical evidence was further analyzed based on user behavior and level of satisfaction. Our recommendations suggest that considerations for different phases of the diffusion journey has to be made by targeting the appropriate users as this is vital for satisfying the existing users, and for reaching new ones. / För att bibehålla relevans, måste även de mest framgångsrika sociala nätverken utvecklas. Vertikala Sociala Nätverk (VSN) är svaret på detta, genom att tillfredsställa människor som söker mer nischade och personifierat innehåll. Detta landskap är dock präglat av hög konkurrens där vikten av att vara först på marknaden är avgörande för framtida framgång. Denna studie belyser Innovationsspridning och segmentering enligt Technology Adoption Lifecycle för att undersöka hur ett VSN kan nå användartillväxt genom att förstå sina nuvarande användare bättre. Vi har genomfört en undersökande fallstudie av ett företag inom VSN branschen som bistår sina användare med en applikation. Baserat på tidigare forskning, teori, enkäter och intervjuer identifierades olikheter i karaktärsdrag hos deras användare. Teoretiska och empiriska bevis beträffande olikheter i karaktärsdrag analyserades och diskuterades vidare baserat på användarbeteende och nivå av tillfredsställelse. De föreslagna rekommendationerna innefattar att ett övervägande för olika faser av diffusionsresan måste göras för att tilltala lämpliga målgrupper, då detta är avgörande för att tillfredsställa befintliga användare, och för att nå nya.

The aim of this thesis is to gain a deeper understanding in relation to the construction of a ‘Net Generation’. With regards to the idea of an information society, technologies and young people are given certain positions, which are not in any sense natural but are socially constructed. This thesis explores these socially given meanings and shows what types of meanings are prioritized and legitimized. The exploration is conducted by examining, both externally and internally, given meanings of a generation identity. The external (nominal identification) in this study is understood as the construction of an abstract user and is studied by means of academic texts concerning the ‘Net Generation’. The internal (virtual identification) involves young people’s construction of their generation identity and is studied by means of collage. The collages are used to understand how the young participants position themselves in contemporary society and how they, as concrete users, articulate their relationship with information technologies.   The findings show that the ‘type of behavior’ which is articulated in the signifying practice of the construction of the abstract user, ‘Net Generation’, reduces users and technology to a marketing / economical discourse. In addition the idea of the abstract user implies that all users have the same possibilities to achieve ‘success’ in the information society, by being active ‘prosumers’. The concrete users articulate that they feel stressed and pressured in relation to all the choices that they are expected to make. In this sense, the participants do not articulate the (economical) interests as assumed for the ‘Net Generation’, but, rather articulate interests to play, to have a hobby and be social when using information technologies.   What this thesis thus proposes, is to critically explore the ‘taken for granted’ notions of a technological order in society as pertaining to young people. Only if we understand how socially given meaning is constructed can we break loose from the temporarily prioritized values to which the position of technology and users are fixed.