<p>This thesis deals with the following questions: What do children find negative on the Internet? What counter strategies do they use? How have they developed these strategies? The method used is one-to-one online interviews and the analyses are qualitative in nature. The sample is children in grade 6 of the Swedish compulsory school, aged between 11 and 13. 104 children, 52 girls and 52 boys, from different parts of Sweden were interviewed.</p><p>The media debate seems to display consensus regarding what threats the Internet poses to young people. The conclusion of this thesis is, however, that children’s views of the Internet in many ways differ from the media related adult view. The children of this study do not express a great deal of anxiety about the negative sides of the Internet. They are aware of, and can describe many downsides but these are not present in their everyday use of the Internet. Digging deeper it turns out that many children have in fact well-developed counter strategies. However, these strategies are not conscious in the sense that the children discuss them. Instead, they seem integrated in their online environment. The counter strategies have been developed by the children alone or together with peers. In some, but remarkably few, cases adults have been giving tips or teaching the children strategies. Nevertheless, the study does not paint a picture of naïve children, unable to see actual threats, but of responsible young citizens who are aware of the threats that exist in their online setting – sometimes from personal experience – and have developed methods to avoid such threats.</p>

This thesis deals with the following questions: What do children find negative on the Internet? What counter strategies do they use? How have they developed these strategies? The method used is one-to-one online interviews and the analyses are qualitative in nature. The sample is children in grade 6 of the Swedish compulsory school, aged between 11 and 13. 104 children, 52 girls and 52 boys, from different parts of Sweden were interviewed. The media debate seems to display consensus regarding what threats the Internet poses to young people. The conclusion of this thesis is, however, that children’s views of the Internet in many ways differ from the media related adult view. The children of this study do not express a great deal of anxiety about the negative sides of the Internet. They are aware of, and can describe many downsides but these are not present in their everyday use of the Internet. Digging deeper it turns out that many children have in fact well-developed counter strategies. However, these strategies are not conscious in the sense that the children discuss them. Instead, they seem integrated in their online environment. The counter strategies have been developed by the children alone or together with peers. In some, but remarkably few, cases adults have been giving tips or teaching the children strategies. Nevertheless, the study does not paint a picture of naïve children, unable to see actual threats, but of responsible young citizens who are aware of the threats that exist in their online setting – sometimes from personal experience – and have developed methods to avoid such threats.

Esta tese objetiva compreender os modos pelos quais jovens soropositivos/as (des)aprendem a tornar-se pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids. Especificamente, esta tese visa a entender como estes/as jovens organizam e planejam suas vidas a partir do diagnóstico soropositivo e como lidam com os efeitos da soropositividade em seus corpos. Os campos teóricos que fundamentam a pesquisa – estudos de gênero e sexualidade, educação em saúde, estudos foucaultianos e estudos culturais pós-estruturalistas, com ênfase em trabalhos voltados para as discussões sobre juventudes – oferecem ferramentas para refletir sobre as formas pelas quais jovens que vivem com HIV aprendem a lidar com os atravessamentos da soropositividade nas suas vidas. O material empírico analisado na tese foi produzido a partir de entrevistas narrativas on-line, realizadas em programas de comunicação instantânea via internet, com 16 jovens soropositivos/as. O material empírico foi organizado e dividido em três eixos de análise: a soropositividade como processo educativo; corpo; e projetos de vida. Tal movimento analítico possibilita descrever e problematizar alguns dos efeitos da soropositividade na vida desses/as jovens: adesão ao tratamento; mudanças corporais; revelação do diagnóstico para familiares, amigos/as e parceiros/as sexuais e afetivos/as; necessidade de usar preservativo em todas as relações sexuais; prescrições clínicas de diversas ordens; planejamentos e projetos de vida e de futuro. Argumenta-se na tese que os/as jovens que vivem com HIV/aids são interpelados/as por diversas instâncias – entre as quais estão os serviços de saúde, as famílias e as escolas – a cuidarem de si e a se responsabilizarem por si mesmos e por seus parceiros e parceiras; por essa razão, desenvolvem diversas estratégias para aderir e resistir a essas instâncias, aprendendo, assim, a tornar-se pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids. / This thesis aims to understand how young seropositive people (un)learn to become people living with HIV/aids. Specifically, this thesis aims to understand how these young people organize and plan their lives after the HIV/aids diagnosis and how they deal with the effects of seropositivity on their bodies. The theoretical fields on which the thesis is based - gender and sexuality studies, health education, foucaultian studies and post-structuralist cultural studies, with emphasis on research about youths - offer tools to reflect on the way young seropositive people learn to deal with the circumstances of seropositivity in their lives. The empirical material analyzed in the thesis was produced from online narrative interviews conducted through instant messaging programs with 16 seropositive young people. The empirical material was organized and divided into three analytical categories: seropositivity as an educational process; body; and life projects. The analytical categories permit a description and discussion of the effects of seropositivity on the lives of these people including: treatment adherence; body changes; diagnosis disclosure to relatives, friends, affective and sexual partners; the necessity of using condoms in every sexual relation; clinical prescriptions of many kinds; plannings and life and future projects. It is argued that young seropositive people are challenged by several social institutions - such as health services, family and school - to take care of and be responsible for themselves and their partners. It further argues that, within this context, they develop several strategies to adhere and resist these institutions, thereby learning to become people living with HIV/aids.

Esta tese objetiva compreender os modos pelos quais jovens soropositivos/as (des)aprendem a tornar-se pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids. Especificamente, esta tese visa a entender como estes/as jovens organizam e planejam suas vidas a partir do diagnóstico soropositivo e como lidam com os efeitos da soropositividade em seus corpos. Os campos teóricos que fundamentam a pesquisa – estudos de gênero e sexualidade, educação em saúde, estudos foucaultianos e estudos culturais pós-estruturalistas, com ênfase em trabalhos voltados para as discussões sobre juventudes – oferecem ferramentas para refletir sobre as formas pelas quais jovens que vivem com HIV aprendem a lidar com os atravessamentos da soropositividade nas suas vidas. O material empírico analisado na tese foi produzido a partir de entrevistas narrativas on-line, realizadas em programas de comunicação instantânea via internet, com 16 jovens soropositivos/as. O material empírico foi organizado e dividido em três eixos de análise: a soropositividade como processo educativo; corpo; e projetos de vida. Tal movimento analítico possibilita descrever e problematizar alguns dos efeitos da soropositividade na vida desses/as jovens: adesão ao tratamento; mudanças corporais; revelação do diagnóstico para familiares, amigos/as e parceiros/as sexuais e afetivos/as; necessidade de usar preservativo em todas as relações sexuais; prescrições clínicas de diversas ordens; planejamentos e projetos de vida e de futuro. Argumenta-se na tese que os/as jovens que vivem com HIV/aids são interpelados/as por diversas instâncias – entre as quais estão os serviços de saúde, as famílias e as escolas – a cuidarem de si e a se responsabilizarem por si mesmos e por seus parceiros e parceiras; por essa razão, desenvolvem diversas estratégias para aderir e resistir a essas instâncias, aprendendo, assim, a tornar-se pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids. / This thesis aims to understand how young seropositive people (un)learn to become people living with HIV/aids. Specifically, this thesis aims to understand how these young people organize and plan their lives after the HIV/aids diagnosis and how they deal with the effects of seropositivity on their bodies. The theoretical fields on which the thesis is based - gender and sexuality studies, health education, foucaultian studies and post-structuralist cultural studies, with emphasis on research about youths - offer tools to reflect on the way young seropositive people learn to deal with the circumstances of seropositivity in their lives. The empirical material analyzed in the thesis was produced from online narrative interviews conducted through instant messaging programs with 16 seropositive young people. The empirical material was organized and divided into three analytical categories: seropositivity as an educational process; body; and life projects. The analytical categories permit a description and discussion of the effects of seropositivity on the lives of these people including: treatment adherence; body changes; diagnosis disclosure to relatives, friends, affective and sexual partners; the necessity of using condoms in every sexual relation; clinical prescriptions of many kinds; plannings and life and future projects. It is argued that young seropositive people are challenged by several social institutions - such as health services, family and school - to take care of and be responsible for themselves and their partners. It further argues that, within this context, they develop several strategies to adhere and resist these institutions, thereby learning to become people living with HIV/aids.

Esta tese objetiva compreender os modos pelos quais jovens soropositivos/as (des)aprendem a tornar-se pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids. Especificamente, esta tese visa a entender como estes/as jovens organizam e planejam suas vidas a partir do diagnóstico soropositivo e como lidam com os efeitos da soropositividade em seus corpos. Os campos teóricos que fundamentam a pesquisa – estudos de gênero e sexualidade, educação em saúde, estudos foucaultianos e estudos culturais pós-estruturalistas, com ênfase em trabalhos voltados para as discussões sobre juventudes – oferecem ferramentas para refletir sobre as formas pelas quais jovens que vivem com HIV aprendem a lidar com os atravessamentos da soropositividade nas suas vidas. O material empírico analisado na tese foi produzido a partir de entrevistas narrativas on-line, realizadas em programas de comunicação instantânea via internet, com 16 jovens soropositivos/as. O material empírico foi organizado e dividido em três eixos de análise: a soropositividade como processo educativo; corpo; e projetos de vida. Tal movimento analítico possibilita descrever e problematizar alguns dos efeitos da soropositividade na vida desses/as jovens: adesão ao tratamento; mudanças corporais; revelação do diagnóstico para familiares, amigos/as e parceiros/as sexuais e afetivos/as; necessidade de usar preservativo em todas as relações sexuais; prescrições clínicas de diversas ordens; planejamentos e projetos de vida e de futuro. Argumenta-se na tese que os/as jovens que vivem com HIV/aids são interpelados/as por diversas instâncias – entre as quais estão os serviços de saúde, as famílias e as escolas – a cuidarem de si e a se responsabilizarem por si mesmos e por seus parceiros e parceiras; por essa razão, desenvolvem diversas estratégias para aderir e resistir a essas instâncias, aprendendo, assim, a tornar-se pessoas que vivem com HIV/aids. / This thesis aims to understand how young seropositive people (un)learn to become people living with HIV/aids. Specifically, this thesis aims to understand how these young people organize and plan their lives after the HIV/aids diagnosis and how they deal with the effects of seropositivity on their bodies. The theoretical fields on which the thesis is based - gender and sexuality studies, health education, foucaultian studies and post-structuralist cultural studies, with emphasis on research about youths - offer tools to reflect on the way young seropositive people learn to deal with the circumstances of seropositivity in their lives. The empirical material analyzed in the thesis was produced from online narrative interviews conducted through instant messaging programs with 16 seropositive young people. The empirical material was organized and divided into three analytical categories: seropositivity as an educational process; body; and life projects. The analytical categories permit a description and discussion of the effects of seropositivity on the lives of these people including: treatment adherence; body changes; diagnosis disclosure to relatives, friends, affective and sexual partners; the necessity of using condoms in every sexual relation; clinical prescriptions of many kinds; plannings and life and future projects. It is argued that young seropositive people are challenged by several social institutions - such as health services, family and school - to take care of and be responsible for themselves and their partners. It further argues that, within this context, they develop several strategies to adhere and resist these institutions, thereby learning to become people living with HIV/aids.

I hope this can be used for a greater good than pure study. / This study used a novel combination of interview methodologies, made possible through the nature of instant messaging, and ethnographic methods in order to determine the value of the autistic community on Tumblr.com to its members. Ethnographic study yielded insights about the dialectic quality of any community on Tumblr, autistic community included, as well as the sense of autonomy users have on the site that is different if not greater than what they may practice in the physical world. Interview data suggest a neutral to positive view of the community and its culture overall, though further research with a greater sample of participants is required in order to confirm these findings. Information can be shared quickly between members, and this information provides greater insight into a given user’s autism, be it diagnosed or otherwise, or insight into navigating the neurotypical world. Autism positivity and neurodiversity advocacy is common among participants and the blogs they subscribe to, popularising the idea thereof in the mainstream while validating the identity of autistic people online and offline. This ethos makes its way into more casual site discussions, with memes and other entertainment being shaped by these experiences. The autistic community on Tumblr is an excellent example of a modern biosocial community online, and serves as Hacking’s engine of normalisation both on the site outside of the autistic community and in the physical world through real life events and adoption of site terminology and discourse. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / Using a purpose-built blog to learn about site culture and a series of online interviews to discover participant experiences, this study explores the culture of the autistic community on Tumblr and its impact on its members. The autistic community on Tumblr is a place that its members have more freedom to act and express themselves (through art, videos, shared stories etc.) than in the physical world. Through being a way to vent difficult experiences, get information, and enjoy site content made by and for them (in addition to broader appeal media), site users report a neutral to positive effect on their overall quality of life because of the site. Further research is required to confirm any of the patterns in the work.