Background: Social media platforms, particularly through user-generated content (UGC), have been recognized as impactful channels to build communities and spread messages through content sharing. TikTok differentiates itself from other platforms by their short video format and personalized algorithm, making it an effective channel for brand-related strategic marketing activities, aimed at understanding customers engagement and brand message. Purpose: That said, this study aims to help brands effectively communicate their brand image and leverage on TikTok using UGC, by understanding what attributes of TikTok-based UGC that influences brand image. Method: To serve the purpose of this study, the research employs a quantitative approach, utilizing a survey instrument distributed to a sample of TikTok users aged 18-35. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis to determine the relationship between various TikTok-based UGC attributes and their influence on brand image. Conclusion: Empirical analysis reveals that attributes such as personalized content on TikTok, consumers engagement with UGC on TikTok, and positive UGC reviews were found to have a direct correlation to consumer perceptions of brand image. This underscores the potential benefits for brands that strategically incorporate these attributes into their marketing strategies through UGC on TikTok to effectively control their brand image.

This qualitative study explores how viral skincare content on TikTok shapes consumption among female Generation Z. In-depth interviews were conducted with females aged 18-24 to understand their engagement with skincare trends on TikTok. The study highlights TikTok’s role as a search engine for Generation Z females seeking product recommendations, particularly in skincare. It examines how TikTok influences buying behavior and purchasing decisions through algorithms, which curate personalized content that directs users towards specific categories. Influencer promotions and user-generated content on the For You page (FYP) significantly shape viewers' preferences and skincare routines. The respondents indicated a tendency to adopt and trust trends seen on TikTok, leading to increased consumption and higher demand for viral products. However, there was also concern about the platform’s addictive nature and the difficulty in distinguishing genuine recommendations from paid promotions. This research concludes that TikTok’s algorithms, together with user-generated content, have a powerful impact on Generation Z females. These insights can be strategically used by marketers to target Generation Z, emphasizing the need for authentic and genuine content to gain consumer trust. Overall, this study highlights TikTok's significant role in contemporary consumerism and contributes to understanding digital consumption patterns among Generation Z females.

In this work, we focus on two attractive crowd-based business models, i.e., user-generated content creation and freight-matching long-haul trucking. First, as elaborated in CHAPTER 2, we consider a game theoretical modeling approach for understanding the operation of non-profit UGC platforms that rely on users to create content and maintain financial sustainability. In particular, we examine several interesting research questions with practical importance and unique contributions to the literature. These research questions mainly investigate how changes in critical business factors influence the platforms' strategic effort allocation, user participation, and overall performance. Second, in CHAPTER 3, we focus on the flourishing freight-matching businesses that rely on crowdsourced drivers for long-haul trucking. In particular, although the practice suggests that shippers' ordering behaviors of freight-matching services may remarkably impact crowdsourced drivers' bidding behaviors, the literature has yet to examine this issue formally. Therefore, we collect industrial data and construct a strict empirical schema for understanding the association between shippers' order timing and freight-matching performance. Besides, by deliberately building a theoretical modeling framework and using a data-driven estimation of model parameters, we are able to simulate the freight-matching performance of adopting our empirical findings and evaluate the practical value of our study. By investigating these two prominent business models, we aim to understand the advantages of crowdsourcing businesses and the role of crowds in nowadays' business innovations. Besides, we also provide valuable managerial insights for business runners who are interested in this "young" market of crowdsourcing businesses. / Business Administration/Strategic Management

Im Zuge der stärkeren Entwicklung des Web 2.0 und der damit vermehrten Veröffentlichung von nutzergenerierten Inhalten werden in dieser Arbeit neuartige Ansätze zur Analyse von hinzugefügten Tags, insbesondere von Geotags, betrachtet. Neben touristischen Erkenntnissen sind vor allem globale Fotosammlungen und 3D-Modelle aus einzelnen Fotos nennenswerte Ergebnisse dieser Forschungsarbeiten. Das Hauptaugenmerk dieser Diplomarbeit liegt bei der Entwicklung einer mobilen Anwendung zur Visualisierung von Kunsttopographien entlang des Malerwegs für das Betriebssystem Android. Mit dieser Applikation wird gleichzeitig ein Ansatz zur Zusammenarbeit der Fachgebiete Kunstwissenschaft und Kartographie geliefert. Hierfür sollen Landschaftsgemälde im Untersuchungsgebiet der Sächsischen Schweiz in der mobilen Anwendung dargestellt werden. Durch die Georeferenzierung der Malerstandorte dieser Gemälde können sie anhand der somit definierten Geotags in einer Karte visualisiert werden. Die Applikation soll den Nutzer nicht nur bei der Wahl eines Wanderweges unterstützen, sondern mit Hilfe einer passenden Signatur auch jederzeit entsprechende Informationen zu einem Landschaftsgemälde liefern, zum Beispiel Entstehungszeit, Epoche, Ausstellungsort oder Name des Künstlers. In der App zum Malerweg ist außerdem auch die Verlinkung zu Wikipedia-Artikeln, sowie die Kameranutzung integriert. Mit einem Usability Test wird schließlich die Gebrauchstauglichkeit der mobilen Anwendung ermittelt. / In the course of the greater development of Web 2.0 and the resulting increased publication of “User Generated Content”, this work consider innovative approaches to the analysis of added tags, espacially of geotags. In addition to tourist findings, global photo collections and 3D models of individual photos are especially noteworthy results of this research. The main focus of this diploma thesis is the development of a mobile application for the visualisation of art topographies along the so called “Malerweg” for Android operating system. At the same time, an approach to the coorperation of the subject areas of science of art and cartography is delivered with this application. Therefore, landscape paintings of the study area Saxon Switzerland should be shown in the mobile application. By geocoding the painterlocations of these paintings, they can be visualized in a map based on the thus-defined geotags. The application will not only assist the user in choosing a trail, but also provide a matching cartographic symbol for delivering relevant information about a landscape painting at any time, for example, time of origin, epoch, place of issue or the name of the artist. In the app to “Malerweg”, there\'s furthermore a linking to Wikipedia articles integrated, as well as the camera use. Finally, a testing determine the usability of the mobile application.

I denna studie har kommunala destination management organization (DMOs) kring Vänern studerats och specifikt hur de implementerar sociala medier i deras marknadsföring. Vi har haft som syfte att studera hur användandet av sociala medier som marknadsföringskanal kan medföra en maktförflyttning och i förlängningen påverka en plats varumärke. Vi har även varit intresserade av att studera hur samskapande av budskap på sociala medier kan bidra till en maktfördelning för att öka platsens synlighet och konkurrenskraft. Studien tar upp begrepp som user generated content (UGC), hashtags och storytelling vilka är verktyg kopplade till maktförflyttningen av marknadsföringen av en plats.Studiens grundar sig i en kvalitativ enkät utförd med respondenter från kommunala turistorganisationer samt visuell observation av respondenternas sociala medier. Datainsamlingen har genererat information om hur kommunerna arbetar med sociala medier som marknadsföringskanal samt hur de använder tillgängliga verktyg på sociala plattformar. Vi har i vår analys tagit hjälp av ett modell som bygger på fyra begrepp kopplat till sociala medier som vi valt att anpassa till vår studie efter vår teoretiska ramverk. Bland annat skapar modellen ett ramverk för DMOs som en hjälp att stärka sitt varumärke. Ramverket består av Varumärke, Rörlighet, Samskapande samt Storytelling och bidrar med kunskap om hur kommuner kan använda det innehåll som användarna av sociala medier skapar och delar med sig av. Resultatet av vår studie visar att kommunerna har kontrollen över sitt varumärke, det har alltså inte skett en maktförflyttning i den bemärkelsen att besökaren har makten över varumärket. Däremot ser vi att samskapande och maktfördelning av kommunens varumärke kan öka konkurrenskraften och är ett underutnyttjat verktyg. Studien visar även att kommunerna är aktiva på sociala medier men vi upplever skillnader i engagemanget och i hur de samskapar med besökaren. / In this study destination management organizations (DMO) surrounding Lake Vänern have been studied and specifically how they incorporate social media in their marketing.The aim of the study was to study how the use of social media as a marketing tool can lead to a transfer of power and in prolongation affect a place brand. We have also had an interest in studying how co-creation of messages on social media can lead to a distribution of power to increase a “place” competitiveness and visibility. The study concerns concepts such as user generated content (UGC), hashtags and storytelling which are tools connected to distribution of power and marketing of a “place”.The study is based on a qualitative survey study performed by respondents from destination management organizations within the destinations surrounding Vänern and also a visual observation of the study's respondents' social media. Our collected data has generated knowledge on how destinations are working with social media as a marketing tool and also how they use the accessible tools that social media offer. Our analysis is inspired by a model that is based on four concepts connected to social media that we have chosen to adapt to our theoretical framework. Among other things the model creates a framework for DMO as a help to strengthen their place brand. The framework consists of brand image, mobility, co-creation and storytelling and contributes with knowledge of how destinations can use the content that the users of social media creates and shares. The study shows that the respondent destinations are in control of their brand, there has not been a transfer of power in the meaning that the visitors are in control of the brand image. However, co-creation and distribution of power of the destination brand to strengthen a place's competitiveness is an underutilized tool. The study also shows that respondent destinations are active on social media, however we experience differences in how they co-create with visitors and their commitment in engaging with visitors.

Im Zuge der stärkeren Entwicklung des Web 2.0 und der damit vermehrten Veröffentlichung von nutzergenerierten Inhalten werden in dieser Arbeit neuartige Ansätze zur Analyse von hinzugefügten Tags, insbesondere von Geotags, betrachtet. Neben touristischen Erkenntnissen sind vor allem globale Fotosammlungen und 3D-Modelle aus einzelnen Fotos nennenswerte Ergebnisse dieser Forschungsarbeiten. Das Hauptaugenmerk dieser Diplomarbeit liegt bei der Entwicklung einer mobilen Anwendung zur Visualisierung von Kunsttopographien entlang des Malerwegs für das Betriebssystem Android. Mit dieser Applikation wird gleichzeitig ein Ansatz zur Zusammenarbeit der Fachgebiete Kunstwissenschaft und Kartographie geliefert. Hierfür sollen Landschaftsgemälde im Untersuchungsgebiet der Sächsischen Schweiz in der mobilen Anwendung dargestellt werden. Durch die Georeferenzierung der Malerstandorte dieser Gemälde können sie anhand der somit definierten Geotags in einer Karte visualisiert werden. Die Applikation soll den Nutzer nicht nur bei der Wahl eines Wanderweges unterstützen, sondern mit Hilfe einer passenden Signatur auch jederzeit entsprechende Informationen zu einem Landschaftsgemälde liefern, zum Beispiel Entstehungszeit, Epoche, Ausstellungsort oder Name des Künstlers. In der App zum Malerweg ist außerdem auch die Verlinkung zu Wikipedia-Artikeln, sowie die Kameranutzung integriert. Mit einem Usability Test wird schließlich die Gebrauchstauglichkeit der mobilen Anwendung ermittelt. / In the course of the greater development of Web 2.0 and the resulting increased publication of “User Generated Content”, this work consider innovative approaches to the analysis of added tags, espacially of geotags. In addition to tourist findings, global photo collections and 3D models of individual photos are especially noteworthy results of this research. The main focus of this diploma thesis is the development of a mobile application for the visualisation of art topographies along the so called “Malerweg” for Android operating system. At the same time, an approach to the coorperation of the subject areas of science of art and cartography is delivered with this application. Therefore, landscape paintings of the study area Saxon Switzerland should be shown in the mobile application. By geocoding the painterlocations of these paintings, they can be visualized in a map based on the thus-defined geotags. The application will not only assist the user in choosing a trail, but also provide a matching cartographic symbol for delivering relevant information about a landscape painting at any time, for example, time of origin, epoch, place of issue or the name of the artist. In the app to “Malerweg”, there\'s furthermore a linking to Wikipedia articles integrated, as well as the camera use. Finally, a testing determine the usability of the mobile application.

Forskning visar att platsmarknadsföring som strategi används alltmer frekvent. Städer och platser uppfattas inte längre som konstanta utan befinner sig i en ständig utvecklingsprocess och behöver hanteras därefter. Då många platser konkurrerar om bland annat besökare, invånare och studenter är det viktigt att kunna differentiera sitt platsvarumärke och kommunicera platsens identitet på önskat sätt. Tidigare forskning har visat att invånare är en av de viktigaste intressenterna för destinationsmarknadsföringsorganisationer (DMO) på grund av deras inflytande på en plats. Invånarna är dock svåra att styra i önskad riktning då de är en heterogen grupp där åsikter, preferenser och attityder skiljer sig åt. Om detta inte sker finns en risk att invånarna inte känner delaktighet med platsen och dess platsvarumärke. Därför är syftet med denna studie att bidra till förståelsen för invånare som platsvarumärkesambassadörer (PVA) med nytta för DMO:s. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys har 272 stycken Instagraminlägg samlats in från tre olika svenska DMO-konton på Instagram. I ett nästa steg analyserades dessa genom att applicera fyra roller och fyra intentioner som identifierats i tidigare forskning (Uchinaka, Yoganathan & Osburg 2019). Resultatet visar att invånarnas roller och intentioner skiljer sig åt mellan de olika platserna och därför inte kan generaliseras. Dessa variationer diskuteras och slutligen resulterar i förståelse för invånare som PVA:s. Med resultatet som stöd, uppmanar forskarna i denna studie att DMO:s bör intressera sig för invånarna på platsen vars platsvarumärke de verkar för. Det, då det mest effektiva sättet att skapa och bibehålla ett framgångsrikt platsvarumärke är genom samarbete med dess invånare. / In recent years, place marketing as a strategy has been more frequently implemented. Cities and places today are not seen as constant but as continual processes of development, in need of being treated with the dynamic in mind. As many places compete for, among other things, visitors, residents, and students it is of great importance to be able to differentiate and communicate the place's identity. Previous research has shown that residents are one of the most important stakeholders for destination marketing organizations (DMO) due to their influence on a place. However, residents are difficult to steer in the desired direction as they are a heterogeneous group where opinions, preferences and attitudes differentiate. If this does not happen, there is a risk that the residents do not feel involved with the place and its place brand. Therefore, it is crucial for DMO:s to understand the residents of the place in order to work effectively with the place brand. Hence, the purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of residents as place branding ambassadors online with use for DMO:s. Through a qualitative content analysis, 272 Instagram posts have been collected from three different Swedish DMO accounts on Instagram. Furthermore, these were analyzed by applying four roles and four intentions identified in previous research (Uchinaka, Yoganathan & Osburg 2019). Findings reveal that residents' roles and intentions differ between places and therefore can not be generalized. This variation is being discussed and the outcome of the discussions is understanding for residents as place brand ambassadors. With support from the result, the researchers of this study urge DMO:s to invest their interest in the residents of the place in order to create and maintain a successful place brand. (This study is written in Swedish.)

This thesis focuses on the phenomenon of live-streaming of computer games in the Czech Republic. This thesis is based on an approach of online ethnography and tries to describe what meaning do the producers of content (who are labeled as performers in this thesis) ascribe to streaming, what are their motivations to stream, how they present themselves on the streams and what is the content of those streams. The live-streaming of computer games in this thesis is put into context of user-generated content. The main part of this thesis is a qualitative research realized through an online observations of streams and through interviews with the performers, who stream on the streaming service Twitch. The findings show that streaming is entertaining and time passing activity for the performers, but also a form of a social contact. Some motivations of the performers include the satisfaction of their viewers and recurring contact with them. There were no financial motivations involved among the performers. Performers mostly do not stylize themselves into any specific role, however some of them do take on themselves the roles of teachers, who teach their viewers to be a better gamer, or the roles of entertainers. During the stream the performers mostly put their attention to only a single game and also to an...

The shift of media from traditional forms to new digital ones has raised the possibility of new kinds of media services, including mobile television. In today's communications market, mobile phones are of increasing importance to users and, since mobile devices are connected most of the time, they have a high degree of location independence. The availability of 3G technology and the mobile devices needed to implement mobile television are now established and available. Mobile television is expected to be an important new service that could penetrate the market place and provide new applications, as well as create a market for new players and new investments, if the appropriate price, content and philosophy for content design are found. This research explores the many potential application areas for mobile TV, with a particular focus on advertising. Various organisations that seek success in this market can utilise the potential for advertising on mobile TV. Ultimately, mobile device users are able to use mobile TV for entertainment and information sourcing. However, a number of challenging issues remain to be addressed. The features that appealed to the consumers were studied in this research. Surveys were conducted to obtain an understanding of consumers' opinions and needs regarding the mobile TV experience. Many users clearly do like to interact with video content on mobile devices. Interactive mobile TV advertising can benefit users who will be able to use an essentially 'free' mobile TV service, funded by an advertising model. This research proposes an environment for interactive advertising on mobile TV and discussion of an implementation of the proposed designs.

O presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar a influência do conteúdo de divulgação científica publicado pelo canal Minutos Psíquicos do YouTube sobre a formação do capital social. O objeto de estudo foi analisado com o aporte da Teoria Fundamentada, uma ferramenta metodológica que tem sido recomendada por pesquisadores brasileiros e estrangeiros para o estudo das mídias sociais e das redes sociais na internet. O corpus de análise foi constituído pelo vídeo mais popular do canal selecionado e pelos comentários relacionados. Para a análise dos comentários foram utilizadas as três técnicas de codificação da Teoria Fundamentada: a codificação aberta, a codificação axial e a codificação seletiva. Ao final da pesquisa, foram identificadas três práticas discursivas que contribuem para a formação do capital social e de valores relacionados no contexto de estudo: a autoexpressão, as reações do canal e o suporte social. As formas de capital social que apareceram com maior frequência são o capital relacional, o capital cognitivo e a confiança no ambiente social. Porém, também foi possível constatar a presença do capital normativo e de indícios do capital institucional. Entre os valores construídos pelos usuários em suas práticas discursivas estão a visibilidade, a legitimação e o suporte social. Esse último merece destaque por perpassar todas as categorias principais. O intercâmbio de informações foi uma prática pouco expressiva naquele contexto. Por fim, conclui-se que o conteúdo publicado pelo canal funciona como um vetor para as diferentes formas de comportamento social que contribuem para a formação do capital social. / The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of the content of scientific divulgation published by YouTube Minutos Psíquicos channel on the formation of social capital. The object of study was analyzed with the contribution of Grounded Theory, a methodological tool that has been recommended by Brazilian and foreign researchers for the study of social media and social networks on the internet. The analysis corpus consisted of the most popular video of the selected channel and related comments. For the analysis of the comments the three coding techniques of the Grounded Theory were used: open coding, axial coding and selective coding. At the end of the research, three discursive practices were identified that contribute to the formation of social capital and related values in the study context: self-expression, channel reactions and social support. The forms of social capital that have appeared most often are relational, cognitive, and trustworthiness of social environment. However, it was also possible to verify the presence of normative capital and evidence of institutional capital. Among the values built by the users in their discursive practices are visibility, legitimation and social support. The latter deserves special mention because it covers all the main categories. The information exchange was not very expressive in that context. Finally, it is concluded that the content published by the channel works as a vector for the different forms of social behavior that contribute to the formation of social capital.