This thesis explores what dimensions that can be used to describe and compare the sociotechnical practice of content contribution in online sharing networks. Data was collected through online ethnographical methods, focusing on end-users in three large media sharing networks. The method includes forum message elicitation, online interviews, and application use and observation. Gift-giving was used as an applied theoretical framework and the data was analyzed by theory-informed thematic analysis. The results of the analysis recount four interrelated themes: what kind of content is given; to whom is it given; how is it given; and why is it given? The five papers in this thesis covers the four themes accordingly: Paper I presents the research area and proposes some initial gifting dimensions that are developed over the following papers. Paper II proposes a model for identifying conflicts of interest that arise for end-users when considering different types of potential receivers. Paper III presents five analytical dimensions for representing how online content is given. The dimensions are: direction (private-public); identification (anonymous-identified); initiative (active-passive); incentive (voluntary-enforced); and limitation (open-restricted). Paper IV investigates photosharing practices and reveals how social metadata, attached to media objects, are included in sharing practices. The final paper further explores how end-users draw on social metadata to communicate bonding intentions when gifting media content. A general methodological contribution is the utilization of sociotechnical conflicts as units of analysis. These conflicts prove helpful in predicting, postulating and researching end-user innovation and conflict coordination. It is suggested that the conflicts also provide potent ways for interaction design and systems development to take end-user concerns and intentions on board. / <p>Article no. 1 is published 2004 in First Monday Vol 9, nr 12 and re-published 2005 in First Monday, Special Issue #1: Music and the Internet.</p>

<p>I denna c- uppsats har en undersökning gjorts om interaktionen och samspelet mellan medlemmarna på ett forum som är ett av de främsta diskussionsforumen för homo- och bisexuella föräldrar/blivande homo- och bisexuella föräldrar. Syftet med undersökningen var att är få ökad insikt om den sociala interaktionen på forumet med hjälp av dessa tre frågeställningar: Hur ser interaktionen/samspelet ut mellan medlemmarna på forumet? Går det att utläsa särskilda teman utifrån inläggen? På vilket sätt kan forumet tänkas vara till någon hjälp för medlemmarna?</p><p>Den teoretiska ramen för denna uppsats innefattar Stephen P. Robbins kommunikationsprocessteori, interaktionsspiralen som beskrivs av Sven Windahl, Signitzer & Olson, Jonathan H. Turners teori om sociala processer, samt en del av Hartmut B. Mokros teori om sociala strukturer och processer på makro respektive mikronivå.</p><p>I den här studien har jag använt mig av en kvalitativ metod avsedd för internetforskning, virtuell etnografi. Denna metod är en tillämpningsmetod utifrån etnografiska metoder där jag använt mig av bland annat Malin Sveningssons bok ”Att fånga nätet- kvalitativa metoder för Internetforskning”. En kompletterande<strong> </strong>e- mejl intervju med webbmastern för forumet, hemsidan, har också gjorts. I mitt forskningsmaterial har jag gjort ett strategiskt kriteriebaserat urval från forumet, där jag valde ut fem diskussionstrådar med flest inlägg som totalt innefattade 62 inlägg. Detta för att ge läsaren ökad förståelse om interaktion på forumet utan att tänja på de etiska restriktionerna gällande anonymitetsskydd.</p><p>Resultatet visade bland annat på att fyra teman kunde utläsas i de samtliga diskussionstrådarna. Nämligen: Presentation av sig själv, beskrivning/berättelse om situation, information/råd och tips, återkoppling/svar från medlem som startat diskussionstråd.</p><p>Ett aktivt informationsutbyte sker på forumet. Informationen som delas rör frågor om barngörarprocessen i samkönade relationer. Forumet är nödvändigt för medlemmarna som lever i samkönade relationer och har funderingar kring barnfrågor.</p> / <p>In this essay an examination was made of the interaction and interplay between the members of a forum which is one of the main discussion forums for gay and bisexual parents/gay and bisexual couples in process of becoming parents. The study aimed to gain further insight about the social interaction on the forum using these three questions at issue: What are the interactions / interplay between the members in the forum? Is it possible to deduce specific themes based on the postings? How can the forum in question be helpful for the members?</p><p>The theoretical framework for this essay includes Stephen P Robbins communication process theory, the interaction spiral described by Sven Windahl, Signitzer & Olson, Jonathan H. Turner's theory about social processes, and part of Hartmut B. Mokros theory about social structures and processes on macro and micro level.</p><p>In this study I have used a qualitative method for Internet research, virtual ethnography. This method is a methodological practice with roots from ethnographic methods. My methodological startingpoint has been Malin Sveningssons book “Att fånga nätet- kvalitativa metoder för Internetforskning”. An additional e-mail interview with the webmaster of the website and the forum was also made. In my research material a strategic criteria-based selection from the forum was made. I picked out five discussion topics with the most posts, which included a total of 62 posts. This selection was made to give the reader a greater understanding about the interaction in the forum without stretching the ethical restrictions regarding anonymity.</p><p>The results showed, among other things, that four themes could be inferred in all discussion threads: Presentation of oneself, description / narrative about the situation, information / advice and tips, feedback / response from the member who started the discussion thread. An active exchange of information takes place on the forum. The information shared amongst the members concerns issues about the process in having children in same-sex relationships. The forum is necessary for members considering or thinking about having children in same-sex relationships.</p>

I denna c- uppsats har en undersökning gjorts om interaktionen och samspelet mellan medlemmarna på ett forum som är ett av de främsta diskussionsforumen för homo- och bisexuella föräldrar/blivande homo- och bisexuella föräldrar. Syftet med undersökningen var att är få ökad insikt om den sociala interaktionen på forumet med hjälp av dessa tre frågeställningar: Hur ser interaktionen/samspelet ut mellan medlemmarna på forumet? Går det att utläsa särskilda teman utifrån inläggen? På vilket sätt kan forumet tänkas vara till någon hjälp för medlemmarna? Den teoretiska ramen för denna uppsats innefattar Stephen P. Robbins kommunikationsprocessteori, interaktionsspiralen som beskrivs av Sven Windahl, Signitzer &amp; Olson, Jonathan H. Turners teori om sociala processer, samt en del av Hartmut B. Mokros teori om sociala strukturer och processer på makro respektive mikronivå. I den här studien har jag använt mig av en kvalitativ metod avsedd för internetforskning, virtuell etnografi. Denna metod är en tillämpningsmetod utifrån etnografiska metoder där jag använt mig av bland annat Malin Sveningssons bok ”Att fånga nätet- kvalitativa metoder för Internetforskning”. En kompletterande e- mejl intervju med webbmastern för forumet, hemsidan, har också gjorts. I mitt forskningsmaterial har jag gjort ett strategiskt kriteriebaserat urval från forumet, där jag valde ut fem diskussionstrådar med flest inlägg som totalt innefattade 62 inlägg. Detta för att ge läsaren ökad förståelse om interaktion på forumet utan att tänja på de etiska restriktionerna gällande anonymitetsskydd. Resultatet visade bland annat på att fyra teman kunde utläsas i de samtliga diskussionstrådarna. Nämligen: Presentation av sig själv, beskrivning/berättelse om situation, information/råd och tips, återkoppling/svar från medlem som startat diskussionstråd. Ett aktivt informationsutbyte sker på forumet. Informationen som delas rör frågor om barngörarprocessen i samkönade relationer. Forumet är nödvändigt för medlemmarna som lever i samkönade relationer och har funderingar kring barnfrågor. / In this essay an examination was made of the interaction and interplay between the members of a forum which is one of the main discussion forums for gay and bisexual parents/gay and bisexual couples in process of becoming parents. The study aimed to gain further insight about the social interaction on the forum using these three questions at issue: What are the interactions / interplay between the members in the forum? Is it possible to deduce specific themes based on the postings? How can the forum in question be helpful for the members? The theoretical framework for this essay includes Stephen P Robbins communication process theory, the interaction spiral described by Sven Windahl, Signitzer &amp; Olson, Jonathan H. Turner's theory about social processes, and part of Hartmut B. Mokros theory about social structures and processes on macro and micro level. In this study I have used a qualitative method for Internet research, virtual ethnography. This method is a methodological practice with roots from ethnographic methods. My methodological startingpoint has been Malin Sveningssons book “Att fånga nätet- kvalitativa metoder för Internetforskning”. An additional e-mail interview with the webmaster of the website and the forum was also made. In my research material a strategic criteria-based selection from the forum was made. I picked out five discussion topics with the most posts, which included a total of 62 posts. This selection was made to give the reader a greater understanding about the interaction in the forum without stretching the ethical restrictions regarding anonymity. The results showed, among other things, that four themes could be inferred in all discussion threads: Presentation of oneself, description / narrative about the situation, information / advice and tips, feedback / response from the member who started the discussion thread. An active exchange of information takes place on the forum. The information shared amongst the members concerns issues about the process in having children in same-sex relationships. The forum is necessary for members considering or thinking about having children in same-sex relationships.

This thesis aims to understand and explain the importance that prostitution forums have for the exercise of power and influence in the area of prostitution. It also seeks to clarify how these forums developed and were able to occur within a Swedish context. Sweden was the first country to legislate to criminalise only the buying, but not the sale, of sexual services. Social work provisions aims to get people out of prostitution. The thesis is based on an ethnographic study of the three largest Swedish prostitution forums during a two-year period. The empirical material consists of both quantitative participant and content analysis and field notes from observation of the interactions on the forums. The theoretical framework is based mainly on A Theory of Fields by Neil Fligstein and Doug McAdam. It focuses on the collective action on - and between - fields and how institutions are reproduced and changed.   The results show that most of the content was published by a smaller group of actors. The interaction can be divided into the following subjects: social shims; information; negotiations and rules; advice and support; viewpoints on the forum as well as discussion on prostitution and its regulation. Moreover, the study shows that the forums enabled both sex service providers and sex clients to meet collectively, pursue common interests and discuss which rules should prevail in the prostitution market. Providers also pursued self-organised harm reduction social measures. This form of self-help was also sanctioned by a municipal prostitution unit, which can be interpreted as if it acted in a contrary direction to the government’s prostitution policy. The actors in the forums perceived themselves to be stigmatised by society, where sex service providers to a greater extent than sex clients, described a form of stigma. In the forums they could, however, feel a sense of belonging. The actors perceived themselves to be monitored by the Swedish state and they collectively self-regulated the interaction. Sex service providers and sex clients also co-operated, on occasions, with the Swedish state in order to jointly combat child prostitution, human trafficking and organised crime.