This research builds on the social movements theory of networks and coalition building, the theory of digital activism, and the social networks theory of organizations to study the rich case of online mobilization for the 2011 Egyptian revolution. I use the analytical tools of social network analysis to study Twitter networks of activists of the Egyptian revolution in early 2011, when solidarity characterized the movement, and late 2014, when schism spread it apart. In this, I investigate how the repertoire of online activism relates to the on-the-ground movement. The social movements theory of networks states that activists’ ideological congruence, the presence of bridge builders who bring the movement together, and the presence of previous ties among the activists are all factors of coalition building and movement solidarity. This dissertation tested the role of these factors in the Twitter networks of Egyptian activists. The results suggest that digital activism complements rather than mirrors on-the-ground activism. While all three factors influence the network, they manifest somewhat differently than research has suggested they do in offline networks. This dissertation contributes to social movements theory of coalition building through adding validity to its application to digital activism, and suggests modifications to be made while applying this theory to the repertoire of online mobilization. The research has a methodological contribution through using cutting edge techniques of social network analysis to study Twitter networks of activists. Unlike earlier studies on the Egyptian revolution, this methodological approach revealed new findings that could not have been studied through other methods of research. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Social Network Sites (SNSs) have emerged as a new way of socializing in the internet age with TikTok being the latest platform to emerge as a worldwide phenomenon, particularly popular amongst the youth. However, there is a knowledge gap about how youth in Sweden’s self-presentation is shaped by the design of TikTok. This explorative study aims to examine what possibilities and restrictions TikTok facilitates for self-presentation and what relevance the users’ physical location, more specifically Sweden, has for their content. We conducted qualitative interviews with ten individuals between the ages of 18 and 23, living in Sweden and that have all created videos on the platform. The gathered data, analyzed using thematic analysis, resulted in five different themes, Usage, Functionality/Platform design, Socializing, Personal life and Expressing oneself; each with underlying categories and codes. From the analysis it became apparent that it is not only the design of the platform, but also its use in relation to other SNSs which shapes how users present themselves on it. The unique downplay of following friends and family as well as the encouraged use of filters and sounds from other users’ videos result in a distinct freedom of expression as well as video creation based on imitation. We also found that the platform seems to offer easy accessible tools for creative exploration without the imposed expectation of posting publicly. These findings show that youths in Sweden have a profound understanding and awareness of how SNSs can be utilized regarding self-presentation in daily life.

The aim of this thesis was to study co-authorship in the constraint programming research community. This was done by conducting social network analysis (SNA) based on published scientific papers from the proceedings of the International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming. Bibliographic data of the scientific literature was collected for the years 2018–2022 of the annual conference. For quantitative analysis, graph metrics were computed to study the properties and structure of the overall network, and also to study the attributes and characteristics of individual authors to be able to identify central actors of the community. Furthermore, graph layout algorithms were used for visualisation of the network. The computed metrics and the graphical visualisations enabled identifying collaboration patterns and behaviours within the studied field. The results of this study show that the most central actors of the community are mainly male and dominated by white organisations and countries. The results of the study also show that the vast majority of authors of the community collaborate with others in writing papers. However, due to the low density of the network there is opportunity and room for new collaboration patterns to take place within the research community.

The crisis of Covid-19 put the world on hold. In many countries, borders were closed and businesses were shut for a long period of time. Countries depending on tourism were hit hard when tourists were no longer allowed to enter, leading to serious consequences worldwide. Costa Rica, being a famous ecotourism destination, was one of few countries to reopen the border after only 9 months, giving businesses a headstart in recovery. This brought both opportunities and challenges to managers dealing with the crisis. The relevance of examining crisis management within the ecotourism industry during Covid-19 is therefore tangible. This study aims to provide a deeper understanding of how managers in ecotourism businesses were affected in terms of ontological security and social networks while managing the Covid-19 crisis. A qualitative study has been performed, based on six semi-structured interviews. The interviewees were managers from different areas in tourism: four hotels, one restaurant and one tourist company. Chosen theories are the concept of ontological security, Steve Matthewman’s perspective on Covid-19 and the social network concept. The results show that social networks can influence the feeling of ontological security, which in turn may affect the crisis management during the Covid-19 crises. Uncertainty was a significant aspect when looking at the results.

Resilience is closely related to mental health and well-being. Identifying risk groups with lower resilience and the variables associated with resilience informs preventive approaches. Previous research on resilience patterns in the general population is heterogeneous, and comprehensive largescale studies are needed. The aim of our study is to examine sociodemographic and social correlates of resilience in a large population-based sample. We examined 4795 participants from the LIFE-Adult- Study. Assessments included resilience (RS-11), social support (ESSI), and social network (LSNS), as well as the sociodemographic variables age, gender, marital status, education, and occupation. The association of resilience with sociodemographic and social correlates was examined using linear regression analyses. Higher resilience was associated with female gender, married marital status, high education, and full-time occupation. Social support and social network were positively associated with resilience. Our results implicate that resilience is related to various sociodemographic variables. Social variables seem to be particularly important for resilience. We identified risk groups with lower resilience, which should be given special attention by public health policies, especially in times of crisis. Reducing loneliness and promoting social connectedness may be promising ways to build resilience in the general population.

Pop culture and social media have become a prime source of entertainment and communication. The current study focuses on the potential effects of consuming this form of media and how it affects our sexual cognitions and behaviors. A sample of nine hundred and two university students were given self-reporting questionnaires concerning demographics, sexual cognitions, and exposure to sexual content in music. An analysis of music artist’s posts on social media was also performed. It was hypothesized that artists who have sexual content published in their work will also have the same amount of sexual content on social media. However, there were no significant correlations found between these sources. This study found that exposure to sexual content on social media could increase the chances of acquiring certain sexual cognitions. The current study also aimed to analyze the common characteristics of artist’s that post a higher frequency of sexual content on social media. This study found that female artists tend to post more sexual content on social media compared to male artists, as well as music groups containing both male and female artists.

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