The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of how second-generation immigrants with Iraqi backgrounds navigate through and adapt to their identity formation processes in relation to Swedish society.  Previous research has examined other ethnic groups of second-generation immigrants and has provided insights that contribute to our study, but there is limited research on second-generation immigrants with Iraqi backgrounds, even though Iraqis are one of the largest groups that have immigrated to Sweden since the 1980s. To achieve the study's purpose and answer the research question, we have chosen to conduct a qualitative study based on 10 qualitative semi-structured interviews with second-generation immigrants with Iraqi backgrounds between the ages of 18 and 30. The results of the study have been analyzed using the following theories: postcolonial perspective, symbolic interactionism and the following theoretically grounded conceptual definitions: identity, in-betweenness, gender patterns and gender regime. The findings of the study reveal that second-generation immigrants with Iraqi backgrounds find themselves in a state of in-betweenness, where they do not fully identify as neither Iraqis nor Swedes. Furthermore, our study shows that cultural, social, and symbolic interactions influence second-generation immigrants with Iraqi backgrounds and their identity formation process, as a symbolic act reinforces an individual's identity. Adaptation to Swedish society is limited for second-generation immigrants with Iraqi backgrounds due to the differing perceptions and expectations of these two cultures regarding what is accepted and deviant, influenced by Iraqi culture and religion.

Studien diskuterar hur sociala interaktioner och identiteter förändras i en digital värld. Syftet är att sätta online och offline i kontext till varandra för att kunna analysera användares beteende och identiteter. Följande tre forskningsfrågor har valts ut för att besvara studiens syfte genom en kvalitativ intervjustudie, (1) Hur beskriver respondenterna att deras identitet har influerats när en betydande del av deras sociala interaktion sker online? (2) På vilket sätt försöker respondenterna återskapa sociala institutioner som vanligtvis existerar i face-to-face-interaktioner i det digitala landskapet? (3) Vilken betydelse menar respondenterna att sociala medier har för deras relationsskapande? Vi har använt oss av följande teorier: social identitetsteori, social penetrationsteori och begreppet affordance för att analysera materialet. Goffmans främre och bakre rum har en framträdande och betydande roll genom studien. Resultatet av vår undersökning är att online- och offlinekontexterna kompletterar varandra och behöver varandra för att vara fullständiga. Sociala institutioner offline är också framträdande online. Samma sak gäller normer, att gå utanför ramar kan skapa utanförskap även i en onlinekontext. Sammanfattningsvis är sociala interaktioner och identiteter två fenomen som ständigt är i utveckling. Den här studien bygger på ett litet antal respondenter där resultatet inte kan svara för allmänheten, men vi hoppas att studien kan vara värdefull för vidare inomvetenskaplig forskning. Nyckelord: Sociala medier, identitet, sociala interaktioner, online- och offlinekontext, beteende, relationer.

With online communication being increasingly integrated with our everyday lives, internet hate has become a growing problem. This is receiving growing attention in the media and research. In recent years, scientists have begun to shift their focus from the hate itself, to responses to these forms of violation. However, research has been mainly solution orientated and for example focused on legal aspects. Thus, we maintain that the field lacks a media technology based analysis, which this paper intends to contribute to. The aim of this study is to investigate what impact design and functionality in social media has on its users, with relation to user’s counter-strategies on the reception of offensive content. Note that this study is restricted to social media, and not focused on digital media at large. Within the framework of this essay, we have conducted three focus-group interviews and nethnographic studies. The empirical data from our focus groups has determined which social media platforms we examined in the nethnographic study, and subsequently in our analysis. The collected data has been analysed in relation to previous research on social media and internet hate. We have also used theories on resistance, suppression techniques, space of possible actions, norms and the relationship between offline/online and front stage/back stage. The analysis has resulted in five themes that describe the following key findings: 1) social media's positive connotations are problematic in relation to offensive content, but the receivers of internet hate are inventive in working around embedded norms, 2) sometimes no response is the best defence, 3) the culture around the like-function has a significant role in the resistance to internet hate on social media, 4) the shrinking distance between the world online and offline, as well as public and private rooms, affects everyday resistance to violations on social media, and 5) production of positive content and interaction with help of built-in functions are perceived as ways to affect the climate and cooperative resistance. We do not purport to provide technical or design-related proposals for development. However, we believe that our results, among other things, can be used for future development and improvement of social media platforms, and as a basis for further research on resistance to violations on social media.

The Swedish national regulations and advice that the Covid-19 pandemic has entailed have resulted in individuals staying at home to a greater extent. This has led to individuals not having physical social interactions to the same extent as before the pandemic. These limitations have meant that digital technology has become an important role in today's society where individuals in virtual groups and virtual communities have had their social needs met online rather than in real life. This is a qualitative survey in which results are based on six semi-structured interviews and 192 questionnaire responses. The respondents consist of adults living in Sweden. Results show that participation in gaming-based voice-mediated online communities helps individuals to fullfil their social needs as well as reduce feelings of loneliness and depression. The availability of such communities enables them to replace social contact when it is otherwise impractical to meet in real life, for example during the Covid-19 pandemic or when the individuals are geographically separated. Individuals in gaming-based voice-mediated online communities have often been attached to other members for a long time, the interactions are not limited to gaming and they can integrate individuals in these communities to their offline-life. They also have greater control over when and for how long they participate along with flexibility which allows the participants to decide how involved in the conversation they wish to be at any given time. Through internet-based communication individuals can selectively and strategically present themselves, which in a positive way distorts the perception between the individuals and result in more intimate and intensive conversations.

Ensamhet har under de senaste åren blivit ett större problem. Om det beror på teknik, ensamboende eller prioriteringar på karriären är svårt att veta, troligtvis på alla dessa. Ensamhet kan leda till allvarliga hälsoproblem, både psykiska och fysiska så som depression och ökad risk för hjärtsjukdomar och stroke. Ensamhet är därför ett folkhälsoproblem som måste hanteras. Den byggda miljön är också något som påverkar människors känsla av ensamhet, det är den sortens ensamhet som märks i offentliga rum. Detta kallas urban loneliness och är den typ av ensamhet som undersöks i detta projekt. Under Covid-19-pandemin rekommenderade Folkhälsomyndigheten social distansering vilket gjorde att fler människor kände sig ensamma. När man träffade andra skulle man helst vara ute i offentliga utrymmen. Det är därför projektet undersöker hur Covid-19 har påverkat betydelsen av offentliga rum. Forskningsfrågan som används är följande. Vilka egenskaper (design och struktur) ska ett offentligt rum ha för att vara attraktivt och motverka urban ensamhet? För att besvara frågan har tre områden i Stockholm använts som fallstudier; Vällingby Centrum, Liljeholmstorget och Sickla Stråket. För att samla information har relevant litteratur och dokument lästs, det har även gjorts en enkätundersökning och direkta observationer inom de tre områdena. Projektet visade att egenskaper i offentliga utrymmen påverkar känslan av ensamhet. Det är dock svårt att veta exakt vilka som är de viktigaste eftersom det är individuellt. Offentliga platser har på något sätt varit viktiga för människor under pandemin. Men på grund av timingen och den korta tidsperioden detta projekt pågår är det svårt att förstå hur mycket och exakt för vem, för att få reda på detta skulle det behövas ytterligare undersökningar. / Loneliness has been an increasing issue during later years in Stockholm. Whether it is because of technology, solo living or career priorities is hard to know, probably all of them. Loneliness can lead to serious health issues, both mental and physical such as depression and increased risk of heart diseases and strokes. Loneliness is therefore a public health problem that needs to be dealt with. The built environment is also something that affects people's feeling of loneliness, this is the kind of loneliness which is felt in public spaces. This is called urban loneliness and is the kind of loneliness which is examined in this project. During the Covid-19 pandemic the Public Health Agency recommended social distancing which created more people feeling lonely. While meeting others one was preferably supposed to be outside in public spaces. This is why the project examines how Covid-19 has affected the importance of public spaces. The research question used is the following.  What characteristics (design and structure) should a public space have to be attractive and counteract Urban loneliness? To answer the question three areas in Stockholm have been used as case studies; Vällingby Centrum, Liljeholmstorget and Sickla Stråket. To gather information relevant literature and documents has been read as well as surveys and direct observations in the three areas. The project showed that elements in public spaces do affect the feeling of loneliness. It is however difficult to know exactly which ones are the most important since it is individual. Public spaces have somehow been important for people during the pandemic. However due to the timing and the short time period of this project it is difficult to understand how much and for whom, in order to find this out, further investigations would be needed.

hälsotillstånd. Individer med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning, autism, eller båda nedsättningar, har ofta högre risk att hamna i social isolering än individer utan dessa funktionsnedsättningar. Forskning saknas kring hur Augmented Reality-spel kan tillämpas för att underlätta sociala interaktioner för vuxna individer med autism, intellektuell funktionsnedsättning, eller båda funktionsnedsättningar. Tidigare forskning undersöker ämnet mer generellt och fokuserar mer frekvent på barn och unga individer som målgrupp, denna forskning har dock visat positiva resultat gällande Augmented Reality som stöd för utlärandet av viktiga vardagskunskaper. Det problem denna studie ämnar att undersöka är hur vuxna individer med dessa typer av funktionsnedsättningar har en högre risk att hamna i social isolering, samt att det idag finns en brist på forskning kring riktlinjer om hur spel kan utformas för denna målgrupp. Social isolering är när en individ upplever social ensamhet, bristfällig kontakt med familj, social oro och depression Genom att utveckla en Augmented Reality-app-prototyp ämnar författarna att undersöka dess potential för att öka sociala interaktioner mellan vuxna individer med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning, autism eller båda funktionsnedsättningar. Genom att individerna använder funktionen i appen “ring en vän” så uppstår det en chans för att de träffas. På det sättet hoppas författarna av denna studie att slutprodukten skulle kunna skapa fler sociala interaktioner. Datainsamlingen utförs genom observationer och intervjuer med personal från en daglig verksamhet som dagligen interagerar med individer från målgruppen, med syfte att ge kunskap om Augmented Reality som undervisningshjälpmedel för individer med förutnämnda funktionsnedsättningar. Författarna av denna studie kodar och kategoriserade sedan datan i teman för att undersöka resultatet. I denna studie uppkommer det att det är svårt för personalen på den dagliga verksamheten att motverka social isolering för individerna med de förutnämnda funktionsnedsättningarna. Resultatet visar att det finns intresse och potential för Augmented Reality som ett hjälpmedel för att motverka social isolering. Författarna uppfattar det som att studien har brister då den data som samlats in inte hämtats från den aktuella målgruppen. Framtida forskning skulle kunna vidareutveckla artefakten som har skapats för denna studie. Framtida forskning skulle också kunna utforska möjligheten att utveckla “ring en vän” funktionen till ett verktyg som skulle kunna appliceras på olika applikationer / Social isolation, which is when an individual is distanced from their desired or necessary social networks, can lead to deteriorated mental health. Individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism, or both disabilities often have a higher risk of experiencing social isolation compared to individuals without these disabilities. There is a lack of research on how Augmented Reality games can be applied to facilitate social interactions for adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, or both disabilities. Previous research has explored the topic more generally and has focused more frequently on children and young individuals as the target audience. However, this research has shown positive results regarding the use of Augmented Reality as a support for learning essential life skills. The problem this study aims to investigate is how adults with these types of disabilities are at a higher risk of experiencing social isolation, and there is currently a lack of research on guidelines for designing games for this target group. Social isolation occurs when an individual experiences social loneliness, lack of contact with family, social anxiety, and depression. By developing an Augmented Reality app prototype, the authors intend to examine its potential to increase social interactions among adults with intellectual disabilities, autism, or both disabilities. By using the "call a friend" feature in the app, there is an opportunity for individuals to meet face to face. In this way, we hope that the end product could create more social interactions. Data collection is performed through observations and interviews with staff from a daily activity center who interact with individuals from the target group on a daily basis. The purpose is to provide knowledge about the use of Augmented Reality as an educational tool for individuals with the aforementioned disabilities. The authors of this study then code and categorize the data into themes to investigate the results. This study reveals that it is challenging for the staff at the daily activity center to counteract social isolation for individuals with the aforementioned disabilities. The results demonstrate that there is interest and potential for Augmented Reality as a tool to counteract social isolation. The authors perceive the study to have limitations as the data collected was not obtained directly from the actual target group. Future research could further develop the artifact that has been created,and could also explore the possibility of expanding the "call a friend" function into a tool that could be applied to different applications.

In 2020, the world was struck by the Covid-19 pandemic. Recommendations to limit physically meeting with others caused somewhat of a paradigm shift in how office workers perform their work. A massive shift to remote work occurred and exposed the workforce to the remote work’s shortcomings and problems. Based on a literature study, remote workers were found to lack social interactions that happen automatically in an office. Therefore, a proposed solution of scheduling regular, social, and informal interaction sessions was tested in an experiment using Microsoft Teams with full-time, remote IT workers. To facilitate informal social interactions during these experiment sessions, the participants were allowed to play a few different games, participate in social activities or not participate at all. Analysis of the results from the experiment showed a slight improvement in the measured factors over the course of the experiment. However, only a decrease in emotional exhaustion was found to be statistically significant. Therefore, the results are insufficient to argue for or against the implementation of regular informal social interactions with a goal of improving employees’ remote working environment. The experiment had several areas which could be improved, particularly the scale and availability of the experiment. Future research should take into account the suggested areas of improvement for the experiment, specifically scaling up a similar experiment in order to support or refute the implementation of regular social interactions as part of a remote working environment. The increase in remote work is believed to persist in the future. Therefore, the drawbacks of remote work merit additional research to uncover techniques to mitigate them. Moreover, due to the nature of their work, IT workers have ample opportunities to work remotely. A suitable environment in which to work remotely can help them benefit from remote work while experiencing less of its negative effects. / Under början av året 2020 drabbades världen av Covid-19 pandemin. Rekommendationer att minimera fysisk kontakt med andra människor förändrade kontorsarbetares arbetsmiljö drastiskt. En omfattande förflytterlse av arbete till distansarbete skedde och syngligjorde dess nackdelar. Denna ökning av distansarbete förväntas fortsätta i framtiden. Nackdelarna hos distansarbete meriterar ytterliggare undersökningar kring tillvägagångsätt för att reducera dem. En av de vanligaste rapporterade nackdelarna är den socialt isolerande effekten. Detta examensarbete kommer fokusera på att undersöka hur man kan reducera den socialt isolerande effekten av distansarbete på heltid hos IT-arbetare. IT-arbetares arbetssätt har stora möjligheter för distansarbete. Därför skulle en bra miljö för distansarbete gynna IT-arbetare och göra det möjligt för fler individer att ta del av fördelarna från distansarbete. Innan pandemin var distansarbetare selektivt utvalda utefter deras personliga möjligheter att lyckas. Under pandemin så har även de individer som passar mindre bra för distansarbete även behövt jobba på distans. Detta gör det möjligt att undersöka möljliga förbättringsätt för fler typer av individer. Baserat på en literaturstudie så har det tydligjorts att distansarbetare saknar den sociala interaktion som sker automatistk i en kontorsmiljö. På grund av detta så föreslogs och testades en möjlig lösning av planerade, regelbundna, sociala och informella tillfällen över Microsoft Teams som ett experiment. För att främja informella och sociala interaktioner under experimenttillfällena så fick deltagarna spela ett par olika spel eller utföra aktiviteter med varandra. Resultaten pekar mot en liten förbättring från experimentet men endast en minsking av känslomässig utmattning var statistiskt significant. Det fanns flera förbättringsområden för experimentet. Sammanfatningsvis var storleken av experimentet och tiden för det, de stora förbättringsområdena. Resultaten är inte starka nog för att kunna tala för eller emot implementerandet av regelbundna, informella, sociala interaktioner med ändamålet att förbättra miljön för distanarbete. Framtida forskning bör ta hänsyn till förbättringsområdena och undersöka en upskalad variant av ett liknande experiment.

If democratic society is to avert the dire straits that may come from decreasing levels of political participation and civic engagement, all potential explanatory factors must be explored. The purpose of this paper is to i) elucidate how the modeling and self-efficacy mechanisms of social learning theory affect individuals’ decisions to participate politically or not, and ii) assess the applicability of the relatively unutilized social learning theory in studies on political socialization and participation, respectively. By conducting a study composed of life history interviews, the paper aims to contribute to the research field by providing new explanations on how and why participatory behavior occurs in individuals, potentially filling a research gap by using and developing the previously unutilized social learning theory. The study finds that the proposed social learning theory mechanisms appear to have some explanatory power in the context of individuals’ political participation and asserts that social learning theory may very well be applicable in similar future studies as a complement to other explanatory factors.