The phenomenon of Live Video Shopping (LVS) has gained increased attention in recent years. Sinceapproximately 2017, the Chinese market has brought LVSto the attention of the public. In terms of overall market share, LVS was projected to account for roughly 20% of the overalle-commerce volume in Chinauntil 2021. Despite that, within Europe LVS has not seen such rapid growth and seems to be still a neglected domain,both in practice and in academia.Most academic research on LVS has originated in China and took place in an Asian setting. From a European standpoint, these findings can onlyserve as a starting point for further researchdue to cultural differences. Sincemost extant research on the topic of LVS adopted a quantitative research design, we could clearly identify a lack of qualitative studies in a European context. Therefore, our study aims to fill this research gap by investigating European consumersperceived value of LVS and their motivations to engage in it. A qualitative research design is particularly suitable for the exploratory nature of ourresearch. For the collection of data, we conducted three synchronous online focus groups through purposive sampling of European participants. In addition to that, and as a triangulation for our data sources, Pål Burman, the CEO of the LVS provider Zellma, was interviewed. With this we were able to includedifferent perspectives on the topic. It also helped us to increase thevalidityofthemanagerial implications.Usingthematic analysis, we could identify themes that theparticipants associated with the concept of LVS. The findings suggest that the perceived value of LVS for European consumers is not indisputable. Based on the theoretical concept of perceived value,LVS has to solve the trade-off between give and get components. This means that the committed time for attending an LVS stream has to be compensated by certainbenefits, such asdiscounts, enhanced product information, exclusivity of content,or inspiration. By using the theoretical framework of Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), we were able to divide the motivations of European consumers to engage in LVS in three types of gratifications: hedonic, utilitarian, and social. As opposed to prior Asian research on the topic, social gratifications only played a minor role forEuropean consumers. Reasons for an interaction between the viewer and the broadcaster were primarily product-related and utilitarian by nature. Engagement for the sake of social motives could not be confirmed. Utilitarian gratifications desired byEuropean consumers were mainly connected to theobtainment of enhanced production information, leading to more informed purchase decisions. Hedonic motivations were for exampleentertainmentand inspiration. When connecting UGT to the TechnologyAcceptance Model (TAM), we have also been able to identify consumers' approachesto LVS as a new technology.Crucial here weretheperceived ease of use and perceived usefulnessof LVS.It was shown that consumers require LVS to be as easy or easier than normal e-commerce shopping is already.LVS would further be perceived as useful if it could provide the viewers with something uniquethat old technologies are not able to provide.Asa new digital phenomenon, itis expected to serve as a complement to physical and online stores. In fact, LVS might not only serve as a platform of sales, but also tocreate long-lasting relationships between a brand and its consumers with consumer engagementas a main desired outcome.

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.

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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.

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

Denna studie syftar till att genom semistrukturerade intervjuer som metod förmaterialinsamling och en tematisk analys undersöka människors motiv och bakgrundtill att aktivt minska sin konsumtion av sociala medier och traditionella nyhetsmedier,antingen helt och hållet eller i tidsperioder. Samt vilka åtgärder som individen tar till föratt öka sin självkontroll och självreglering. Totalt har 6 personer deltagit i desemistrukturerade intervjuerna, 4 kvinnor och 2 män. Intervjusvaren analyseras utifrånuses-and-gratification som teoretisk utgångspunkt med komplettering från begrepp somsjälvreglering, självkontroll, lågengagemang och mångsyssleri. Resultatet visar på attden övergripande orsaken till att deltagarna aktivt tar ökat avstånd från sociala medieroch specifika typer av medieinnehåll är anledningar som att vilja återfå kontrollen fråndet slentrianmässiga användarbeteendet. Ytterligare visar resultatet på att varfördeltagarna tar avstånd eller försöker att begränsa sin konsumtion av traditionellanyhetsmedier är av orsaker som att det påverkar dom negativt att få för mycket intryckav negativa nyhetshändelser. Åtgärder som deltagarna tagit vid för att reglera sinskärmtid och få en ökad känsla av självkontroll har en gemensam utgångspunkt i attreducera och begränsa.

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