The main objective with this Master's thesis is to better understand the preferences and attitudes of audiobook users in Sweden who are also members of Swedish Facebook audiobook groups. In recent years audiobooks have risen to prominence, although their previously inferior status is still evident in the lack of available research. Development of digital technology together with our busy modern lives have facilitated this rapid growth. The data gathering method used was a self-completion questionnaire distributed via Swedish audiobook Facebook groups. I endeavored to answer the following research questions: Why, how and to what extent do members of Swedish Facebook audiobook groups consume audiobooks? What attitudes do these users exhibit towards audiobooks’ affordances? Uses and gratifications theory and McLuhan's laws of media were used as a theoretical framework. The study both supports and challenges previous findings. Users primarily audio read because they can do other things at the same time; thriller/suspense/mystery are the most popular genres; many listen to podcasts and read print books, but a substantial number also exclusively listen. The study also found that most audio read quite a lot and prefer to do it at home, while the car is not such a common location. The narrator is overall important, but not when one chooses an audiobook. Though most subscribe to a streaming service, a substantial number of users borrow from a local library.

Denna studie handlar om på vilka sätt som sociala medier kan ge uttryck för bekräftelsebehov hos användare. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer på fem användare av sociala medier samt användning av teorier inom självrepresentation, behaviorism och Uses and Gratification, blev det möjligt att finna flera typer av bekräftelsebehov. Det gick dels att urskilja tre strategier inom självrepresentation som användes för att uppnå bekräftelsebehov; en strategi till direkt uppmärksamhet, en strategi till specifik målgrupp och en strategi för generellt bekräftelsebehov. Vidare gavs också information på hur användare uppfattar och använder sig av sociala mediers mediala mekanismer, till att nå bekräftelsebehov. Slutligen blev det också möjligt att uppfatta användares känslor efter detta behov. / This study is about social media and in what ways it can give expression for a need ofconfirmation, by the individuals who are using it. By using qualitative interviews on five users of social media, combined with exploiting theories in self-representation, behaviourism and Uses and Gratifications, it was possible to discover several kinds of need for confirmation. Thus, three strategies in self-representation was being used: a strategy mainly for attention, a strategy to reach a specific target group, and a strategy for general need of confirmation. Furthermore, information on how the users are aware of the mechanisms from social media is being showed and also how they make the most out of it. Eventually, after their need for confirmation had been examined, the users’ feelings were presented.

This study examines how recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology use LinkedIn as a tool for job search and networking. It examines their thoughts around theirbehaviour in relation with how their behaviour can affect their future career opportunities. Thepurpose is to gain a deeper understanding of how LinkedIn is used which is based on the uses and gratifications theory. To examine this an abductive approach has been used, and four semistructured interviews have been done to gather data from the recent graduates. The study shows that recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology use LinkedIn as a tool for job search, but do not use the opportunity to network to its fullest potential. The recent graduates in this study are also passive users who use LinkedIn as a place to gather information that can be used later. This strengthens the earlier studies done in the field that students and recent graduates use LinkedIn passively and do not use the functions “liking”, “commenting”, “sharing” and “posting” to be more visible to the fullest. The recent graduates are aware of the opportunities LinkedIn provide and that it is beneficial for them to be more active there than they are today but find it difficult to know what they would contribute with by being more active.

No description available.

Background: Social media has become a crucial aspect of individuals lives and it has provided businesses with a unique opportunity to connect with their customers. Instagram has grown to become one of the most widely used social networking sites in the world and there is a diversity of motivations of why consumers choose to engage with brand-related content on social media. The diversity in motivations should be studied to gain comprehensive understanding of consumer engagement and with the growing diversity of the Swedish population a challenge is presented for marketers looking to connect with consumers from various cultural backgrounds. Purpose: The purpose is to explore how people with diverse cultural backgrounds in Sweden experience their motivations for engagement with brand-related content on social media.  Method: This thesis is of qualitative nature where nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with women in the age of 20-30 who engaged with brand-related content on Instagram. The research adopted phenomenology as its strategy and used thematic analysis to find the themes connected to the participants experiences. Conclusion: The combined set of motivational factors for engaging with brand-related content, at various levels on Instagram, were the same for both cultural groups. However, the motivations which was experienced had both differences and similarities. It was concluded that some differences could be explained by the collectivistic and individualistic background of the participants, however, the differences were mainly based on the personality of the individual since differences were also indicated among participants within the same cultural group.

This project uses a qualitative research approach to understanding Mormon women's uses and gratifications of magazines. The first study provides a retrospective look at the uses and gratifications of readers of the Relief Society Magazine (1915–1970) in order to understand where media targeted to Mormon women has been. Through interviews, focus groups and questionnaires, the study finds the main reasons Mormon women read the Relief Society Magazine was to provide (a) a handbook for daily life, (b) a community, (c) intellectual stimulation, (d) an aspirational ideal, and (e) an escape from daily life. When the magazine ceased publication, readers felt a sense of loss and recognized a need to move on. The second study researches Mormon women's current uses and gratifications of media, with a focus on magazine use. Through focus groups and questionnaires, the main uses and gratifications of current media among Mormon women include (a) interaction, (b) cognition, (c) and diversion. Mormon women's media use is also influenced by warnings from others about the dangers of particular media or too much media use. This project then presents the concept and design for a new magazine targeted to Mormon women and seeks to fulfill the needs and gratifications found in the research discussed here.

This project looks at the development and use of a new delivery system for broadcast television news and its relation to the Uses and Gratifications and Push/Pull Theories. An in-home study of interactive news was conducted for two weeks, allowing people access to three local and 5 national newscasts via one interactive newscast. Users were able to access the interactive newscast whenever and however they wanted via their television or computer, as long as they had an internet connection. The results of this study show how the system was used,what specific actions were taken, and where the potential lies for further research.

Med det ökade användandet av visuellt baserade sociala medier har Instagram blivit en viktig plattform för företag att skapa och stärka relationer med sina kunder. Genom att skapa innehåll baserat på kundens behov kan öka kundengagemanget vilket i sin tur har stor påverkan på kundrelationen och företagets försäljning. Denna studie avser att undersöka vilket innehåll som skapar högt respektive lågt engagemang på företaget Estrids Instagram-konto @Heyestrid och vilka behov som innehållet vill tillfredsställa för användaren. Tidigare forskning analyserar vilka faktorer som visar på ökad popularitet vid varumärkes inlägg och värdet i att engagera kunder. Metoden som tillämpas i denna studie är en kvantitativ innehållsanalys och sedan användes de teoretiska utgångspunkterna för att analysera insamlad data. Teorin utgick från bland annat användarmodellen och dubbel processteori. Empirin bestod av två månaders inlägg på Estrids Instagram-konto och sammanlagt 104 inlägg analyserades. Engagemanget mäts genom medelvärdet av antalet gillningar och kommentarer på inläggen och innehållet kategoriserades utifrån kategorierna underhållning, information, tävling, produkter, influencer och övrigt innehåll. Resultatet visade att inlägg som innehåller tävlingar hade högst engagemang via både gillningar och kommentarer. Därefter kom produkter, övrigt innehåll och information. Lägst engagemang hade kategorin influencer. Användarmodellen visar att de genomgående behoven som Estrid vill försöka fylla för kunden är det emotionella, kognitiva och socialt integrerande behovet. / With the increasing use of visually based social media, Instagram has become an important platform for companies to create and strengthen customer relationships. By focusing on producing content that the customer wants, customer engagement will rise which has a major impact on both the customer relationship and the company’s sale. This stydy aims to investigate which content creates high and low engagement on the company Estrid’s Instagram account @Heyestrid and to see which needs the content tries to satisfy for the user. Previous research analyzes the factors that show increased popularity of brand contributions and the value of engaging customers. The method used in this study is a content analysis and the collected data was analysed using collected theory such as uses and gratification theory and dual process theory. Two months worth of posts were analysed with a total of 104 posts from Estrid’s Instagram account. The engagement were measured by likes and comments and content were divided in the categories; entertainment, information, competition, products, influencers and other. The results showed that posts containing competitions had the highest engagement followed by products, information and other content. The entertainment category was the most published but had the second lowest engagement. The category influencers had the lowest engagement. According to the uses and gratifications theory the needs that Estrid wants to fulfill are the emotional, cognitive and socially integrated needs.

Mixed-use developments have shown to have positive effects on areas’ attractiveness and have thus turned into a planning principle in Swedish urban areas. To ensure that a mix of property uses is obtained and that a sufficient amount of housing is built, many municipalities use constraints in the detailed development plans. Despite the many positive aspects of mixed-use developments there are also challenges. Real estate owners are the long-term investors and which projects and property uses they choose to develop are a matter of risk. Real estate development is characterized by complexity and uncertainty where the end product should result in leasable space over time. In order to succeed, a real estate owner needs to make correct forecasts of future demand and supply for the different property uses. The property owner also needs to manage risk related to detailed development plans, permits, flexibility in the design, construction and lease. The aim of this study is to explore how property owners decide which property uses to include in development projects. The objective is to identify the most important factors behind the decision and to contribute to the body of knowledge concerning the investment decision process of property uses in development projects. The study uses a qualitative method with an abductive approach where semi-structured interviews with 11 of the largest real estate owners in Stockholm have been conducted. The information from the interviews resulted in a general description of the process real estate owners undertake to decide which property uses to include in development projects. The most important factors behind the decision were shown to be the demand in the area, the will of the municipality, the preconditions of the site and the profitability analysis of the project. The detailed development plan, controlled by the municipality, is what ultimately regulates which property uses that can be developed. Real estate owners can negotiate with the municipality when new plans are developed over which property uses to be included, but in the end it is the municipality who has the final say in the matter. / Att kombinera olika verksamhetstyper i utvecklingsprojekt har visat sig ha flera positiva effekter på områdets attraktivitet och har därmed blivit en allt mer vanligt förekommande princip inom stadsplanering. För att säkerställa att en blandning av verksamhetstyper erhålls och att tillräckligt med bostäder byggs reglerar därför många kommuner användningen av kvartersmarken i detaljplaner. Trots de många positiva aspekterna med att kombinera verksamhetstyper i utvecklingsprojekt finns den även utmaningar. Fastighetsägare är långsiktiga investerare och vilka projekt och verksamhetstyper de utvecklar är en fråga om risk. Fastighetsutveckling präglas av komplexitet och ovisshet där den färdiga produkten ska resultera i uthyrningsbar yta över tid. För att lyckas måste den framtida efterfrågan och utbud för de olika verksamhetstyperna prognostiseras. Fastighetsägaren behöver även hantera risker relaterade till detaljplaner, tillstånd, flexibilitet i design, konstruktion och uthyrning. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur fastighetsägare går tillväga för att komma fram till vilka verksamhetstyper som ett utvecklingsprojekt ska innehålla. Målet med arbetet är att identifiera de viktigaste faktorerna som ligger bakom beslutet och att bidra till den samlade kunskapen om hur beslutsprocessen ser ut vid val av verksamhetstyper i utvecklingsprojekt. Studien har använt en kvalitativ metod med en abduktiv ansats där halvstrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med 11 av de största fastighetsägarna i Stockholm. Informationen från intervjuerna resulterade i en generell beskrivning av fastighetsägares beslutsprocess för att komma fram till vilka verksamhetstyper ett utvecklingsprojekt ska innehålla. De viktigaste faktorerna bakom beslutet visade sig vara efterfrågan i området, kommunens vilja, platsens förutsättningar och projektets lönsamhetsanalys. Det är detaljplanen som styr vilka verksamhetstyper en utvecklingsprojekt ska innehålla, vilken regleras av kommunen. Fastighetsägarna har möjlighet att komma med förslag på verksamhetstyper vid en detaljplaneprocess men det är i slutändan kommunen som har den sista talan i frågan.

The purpose of this study was to understand boaters’ adoption and usage of smartphones and mobile apps as well as to obtain their opinion on potential features of a targeted mobile app being developed as part of a broader interdisciplinary Florida Sea Grant outreach project. Data were gathered from an online survey of a sample of 164 boaters from the surrounding Central Florida area. In contrast with previous empirical mobile app studies, many respondents reported using mobile apps for information-seeking versus escape gratifications. Further more than half of the respondents’ age sixty-five and over indicated using smartphones and mobile apps. These findings reflected recent national trend data showing shifting gratifications and an increase in technology use among older American adults. In regards to the planned mobile app, the study’s respondents had favorable reactions to its potential features and indicated an above average intent toward downloading the app