Syftet med studien är att undersöka konsumenters förtroende för modevarumärken och hur deras köpbeslut påverkas av varumärken som tillämpar virtuella influencers (VIs) i sin marknadsföring på sociala medier i Sverige. En kvantitativ metod med deduktiv ansats har tillämpats, där en webbenkät distribuerades till svenska studenter vid Textilhögskolan i Borås i åldrarna 20–35 år och användes för att samla in data. Den virtuella influencern Lil Miquela användes som en fallstudie i enkäten med syfte att fördjupa sig i fenomenet och bedöma dess påverkan på konsumentbeteende och förtroende. Studien visar att VIs har en påverkan på konsumenters förtroende för varumärken. Viktiga fynd tyder på att VIs, särskilt exemplifierat av Lil Miquela, påverkar konsumenters förtroende när upplevd autenticitet, mänskliga egenskaper och känslomässig koppling ökar. Varumärken bör därför fokusera på att göra sina VIs mer mänskliga för att öka förtroendet och potentiellt lojaliteten. Studien visar även att VIs påverkar konsumenters köpbeslut, men för en positiv påverkan krävs en känslomässig koppling, mänskliga attribut, samt varumärkesförtroende hos VIs. Dessa insikter betonar potentialen hos VIs att påverka konsumenters uppfattningar och förtroende, vilket ger värdefulla implikationer för marknadsföringsstrategier som involverar VIs. / The purpose of the study is to investigate consumers’ trust in fashion brands and how their purchase decisions are influenced by brands that apply virtual influencers (VI) in their marketing on social media in Sweden. A quantitative method with a deductive approach has been applied, where an online survey was distributed to Swedish students at the University of Textiles in Borås aged 20-35 and used to collect data. The VI Lil Miquela was used as a case study in the survey with the aim of delving into the phenomenon and assessing its impact on consumer behavior and trust. The study shows that VIs has an impact on consumers’ trust in brands. Key findings suggest that VIs, particularly exemplified by Lil Miquela, influence consumer trust as perceived authenticity, human characteristics, and emotional connection increase. Brands should therefore focus on making their VIs more human to increase trust and potentially loyalty. The study also shows that VIs influence consumers’ purchase decisions, however for a positive influence an emotional connection, human attributes, and brand trust with VIs is required. These insights emphasize the potential of virtual influencers to influence consumer perceptions and trust, providing valuable implications for marketing strategies involving VIs.

Relational theology became a major voice in the theological conversations of the twentieth century and now in the twenty-first century it is poised to become the major influence in doctrine of God discussions. Relational theology argues for a model of God that emphasizes a dynamic interaction between God and the cosmos. Reformulating the divine nature contra Classical theism, Relational theology instead includes images of God as sympathetic, mutable, limited in power and knowledge, creative, and as a risk-taker. The assertion is that such images or metaphors for the divine are necessary rightly to understand and discuss God's relationality with the world. This thesis argues that given the relational nature of God the metaphor of faith should be added to the list of God's attributes. The thesis begins by discussing issues of methodology then reviewing Relational theology in the forms of process and open theism as contrasted with Classical theism. This is followed by explorations of various depictions of faith as found in the Old Testament and New Testament. Faith is also examined theologically and philosophically as including the elements of belief, trust, hope, and risk. It is then argued that faith has a decidedly relational nature in that faith most properly takes place between persons. The crux of the thesis is the development of a theology of divine faith. Because humans are free, God is limited, and creation has a purpose, the argument is made that God relates to the world through faith. A case for God's faith is developed exegetically and logically through explorations of the concepts of divine belief, trust, hope, risk, and doubt, concluding that faith is a necessary inclusion for Relational theology. Finally, two primary Church doctrines, creation and christology, are explored through a theology of divine faith. God demonstrates divine faith in bestowing an evolving creation with both freedom and a purpose. God has faith in the creation to produce persons who can freely share faith and love with God. The fully kenotic coming of Jesus Christ demonstrates the Father's faith in the Son, the second person of the triune God. The coming and death of Christ also reveals God's faith that the cross will be efficacious in reconciling those who have abused their God-given freedoms. / Sysytematic Theology & Theological Ethics / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Space is a visual communicator. The act of perceiving space is a neurological soiree that projects and negotiates meaning in our constructed world. The poetry that we observe within space is tied directly to our emotions and to previous experience. Within ourselves, we each have particular feelings, unconscious or not, relating to height, length, and depth, as well as light and shadow. For example, a long, narrow hallway may elicit anxiety, while an open, sunlit nave in a cathedral may bring about feelings of serenity and joy. Our observations and interactions within the perceptual confines of space reveal clues to construction, movement, and play. Additionally, this participation unveils our awareness of space, and thus, reveals that our relationship with space exists in our acknowledgement of it—in our permitting of perception through conscious participation. To explore these ideas further, I will utilize typography to create immersive, sensory experiences that challenge interpretation through the application of human thought, or sensations, to non-living things and material states. This method will assist the observers to rationalize and create meaning within their own world through simplifying an experience in relation to self. Here, spatial language—like light, shadow, dimension, and proximity—will be exposed as a universal and innate part of our perception.

Cette thèse étudie la perception de la marque vieille par les consommateurs selon une perspective anthropomorphique de la marque (perception et stéréotypes des personnes âgées). La marque perçue vieille est appréhendée en fonction des caractéristiques qui lui sont associées. Elle est multidimensionnelle et ambivalente (positive ou négative). Cinq études sont menées dans cette recherche. Une étude qualitative exploratoire (étude 1), nous conceptualisons et définissons la marque perçue vieillie, identifions ses dimensions, ses conséquences et ses modérateurs. Trois études quantitatives (études 2, 3 et 4), nous construisons un outil de mesure composé de quatre dimensions : expertise, déclin, intemporalité et entretien. Une étude quantitative (étude 5), nous testons un modèle intégrateur et les hypothèses de la recherche. Les dimensions de la marque perçue vieille ont des effets significatifs sur la nostalgie du consommateur, l’attachement à la marque et la confiance dans la marque. Ces relations sont modérées par l’orientation temporelle vers le passé et l’âge du consommateur, ainsi que le type de vieillissement de la marque (positif versus négatif) / This doctoral dissertation examines the perception of the old brand by consumers from an anthropomorphic perspective of the brand (perception and stereotypes of the elderly). The brand perceived as old is apprehended according to the characteristics associated with it. It is multidimensional and ambivalent (positive or negative). Five studies are conducted in this research. In study 1 which is an exploratory qualitative study (study 1), we conceptualized and defined brand perceived oldness, identified its dimensions, its consequences and moderators. Following that, three quantitative studies (studies 2, 3 and 4) were carried out in which we built a measurement scale consisting of four dimensions: expertise, decline, timelessness and maintenance. Finally, a quantitative study (study 5) was executed to test an integrative model and research hypothesis. The brand perceived oldness dimensions have significant effects on consumer’s nostalgia, brand attachment, and brand trust. These relationships are moderated by consumer’ temporal orientation towards the past and age, and by the type of brand oldness (positive versus negative)

In reading The story of Edgar Sawtelle, this essay applies posthuman studies with animal studies and disability studies to analyse how the communication between species occur and how boundaries are expanded. Non-verbal language is closely examined and argued to be just as viable as verbal language in the making of relationships and subjects in literature. By applying posthumanism, biological research and a non-anthropocentric way of thinking one can evolve from the notion that humans are the only subjects which matter, something that has been verified because non-human animals never have been given a voice or an acknowledgment of a language. What happens in a novel when the main protagonist is lacking the ability to speak verbally, when verbal language is what has constructed human exceptionalism over all the other species? / Denna uppsats tillämpar posthumanistiska studier med djurstudier och funktionshinder-studier för att analysera hur kommunikationen mellan arter äger rum och expanderar gränser i David Wroblewskis roman The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Icke-verbalt språk undersöks och argumenteras vara lika betydande som verbalt språk vid skapandet av relationer och subjekt i litteratur. Genom att applicera posthumanism, biologisk forskning och ett icke-antropocentriskt sätt att tänka kan man avveckla tanken om att människan är det enda subjekt som räknas, detta är något som enbart verifierats eftersom icke-mänskliga djur aldrig fått någon agens eller bekräftande att de har rätten till en röst. Vad händer i en roman när protagonisten saknar förmågan till verbalt språk, när det verbala språket är central som verkning i mänsklig exceptionalism?

“The Bedroom and the Barnyard: Zoomorphic Lust Through Territory, Procedure, and Shelter in ‘The Miller’s Tale’” is an academic endeavor that takes Chaucer’s zoomorphic metaphors and similes and analyzes them in a sense that reveals the chaos of what is human and what is animal tendency. The academic work is expressed in the adjunct creative project, Haunchebones, a 10-minute drama that echoes the tale and its zoomorphic influences, while presenting the content in a stylized play influenced by Theatre of the Absurd and artwork from the medieval and early renaissance period.

Relational theology became a major voice in the theological conversations of the twentieth century and now in the twenty-first century it is poised to become the major influence in doctrine of God discussions. Relational theology argues for a model of God that emphasizes a dynamic interaction between God and the cosmos. Reformulating the divine nature contra Classical theism, Relational theology instead includes images of God as sympathetic, mutable, limited in power and knowledge, creative, and as a risk-taker. The assertion is that such images or metaphors for the divine are necessary rightly to understand and discuss God's relationality with the world. This thesis argues that given the relational nature of God the metaphor of faith should be added to the list of God's attributes. The thesis begins by discussing issues of methodology then reviewing Relational theology in the forms of process and open theism as contrasted with Classical theism. This is followed by explorations of various depictions of faith as found in the Old Testament and New Testament. Faith is also examined theologically and philosophically as including the elements of belief, trust, hope, and risk. It is then argued that faith has a decidedly relational nature in that faith most properly takes place between persons. The crux of the thesis is the development of a theology of divine faith. Because humans are free, God is limited, and creation has a purpose, the argument is made that God relates to the world through faith. A case for God's faith is developed exegetically and logically through explorations of the concepts of divine belief, trust, hope, risk, and doubt, concluding that faith is a necessary inclusion for Relational theology. Finally, two primary Church doctrines, creation and christology, are explored through a theology of divine faith. God demonstrates divine faith in bestowing an evolving creation with both freedom and a purpose. God has faith in the creation to produce persons who can freely share faith and love with God. The fully kenotic coming of Jesus Christ demonstrates the Father's faith in the Son, the second person of the triune God. The coming and death of Christ also reveals God's faith that the cross will be efficacious in reconciling those who have abused their God-given freedoms. / Sysytematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

This thesis aimed at examining the impact of decorative pictures, defined as pictures which make an instructional material aesthetically appealing rather than conveying information for learning. In research, the use of decorative pictures was considered to be detrimental for learning for a long time. In contrast, recent research revealed that the impact of these pictures is moderated by a number of variables. In a series of experiments which were based on cognitive-affective theories of learning with media, a selected number of theoretically derived moderators were examined in a series of experiments. A first experiment (N1 = 82) investigat-ed the effectiveness of different levels of emotional charge (positive vs. negative) and the impact of different contexts (learning context vs. leisure time context) shown in decorative pictures. Results showed that learning performance was higher for positive than negative pictures, while the measured pleasure of students mediated this effect. Decorative pictures showing a learning context were also found to enhance learning while the students’ assessments of arousal and dominance were raised for these pictures. In a second experiment (N2 = 81), design features of anthropomorphism, defined as features which elicit the tendency to attribute human characteristics to non-human objects, were implemented in decorative pictures. Based on a two-factorial design with the inclusion of human faces (present vs. absent) and personalized labels (present vs. absent), both human faces and personalized labels were found to foster learning. In comparison to a control group without decorative pictures (experiment 3; N3 = 102), the inclusion of both mentioned anthropomorphic features in decorative pictures led to a higher learning performance. In contrast, decorative pictures without anthropomorphic features decreased learning. Both features additionally enhanced the mental effort and intrinsic motivation of students, although a task-irrelevant cognitive load was increased by the inclusion of decorative pictures. The emotional charge (positive vs. negative) and the degree of text-picture connectedness (weakly vs. strongly) of decorative pictures were additionally examined in three other experiments (N4 = 108, N5 = 86, N6 = 162). Moreover, these groups were compared with an additional control group without decorative pictures. All three experiments revealed that decorative pictures with a strong connection to the learning topic of a text and a positive charge increased learning. In comparison with the control group, positive, strongly connected pictures mainly enhanced and negative, weakly connected pictures mainly impaired learning. Results can be explained by significant differences among the assessment of cognitive processes of learners. In conclusion, decorative pictures may be used in order to enrich an instructional material if boundary conditions like the context-relatedness, the degree of anthropomorphism, the text-picture connectedness, and the emotional charge are taken into account. / Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht den Einfluss dekorativer Bilder, welche per Definition ein Lernmaterial eher ästhetisch schmücken als lernrelevante Informationen zu vermitteln. In der Forschung wurden solche Bilder bisher vorrangig als lernhinderlich betrachtet. Neuere Befunde weisen jedoch darauf hin, dass der Einfluss dieser Bilder einer Reihe von moderierenden Einflüssen unterliegt. Auf der Grundlage von verschiedenen Experimenten, welche auf kognitiv-affektiven Theorien des Lernens mit Medien beruhen, wurde eine ausgewählte Anzahl theoretisch abgeleiteter Moderatoren näher untersucht. In einem ersten Experiment (N1 = 82) wurden Einflüsse der emotionalen Ladung (positiv vs. negativ) sowie des dargestellten Lernkontexts (Lernkontext vs. Freizeitkontext) von dekorativen Bildern analysiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich das Lernergebnis durch positive Bilder im Kontrast zu negativen Bildern verbesserte, während dieser Effekt durch die Zufriedenheit der Studenten mediiert wurde. Auch dekorative Bilder mit einem Lernkontext erhöhten die Lernleistungen, während Lernende durch diese Bilder eine höhere Aktivierung sowie Dominanz angaben. Ein zweites Experiment (N2 = 81) bestimmte den Einfluss anthropomorphisierter Bestandteile von dekorativen Bildern, welche die Tendenz zur Attribution menschlicher Charakteristiken auf nicht-menschliche Objekte auslösen können. Auf der Grundlage eines zwei-faktoriellen Untersuchungsdesigns, gekennzeichnet durch die Einbettung von menschlichen Gesichtern (vorhanden vs. nicht-vorhanden) und personalisierter Beschriftungen (vorhanden vs. nicht-vorhanden), konnten menschliche Gesichter und personalisierte Beschriftungen die Lernleistungen erhöhen. Im Kontrast zu einer Kontrollgruppe ohne dekorative Bilder (Experiment 3, N3 = 102), erwies sich der Einsatz anthropomorphisierter Bilder als lernförderlich, wohingegen dekorative Bilder ohne anthropomorphisierte Bestandteile lernhinderlich waren. Beide Bestandteile erhöhten außerdem die wahrgenommene mentale Anstrengung sowie intrinsische Motivation der Lernenden, obwohl sich die lernirrelevante Belastung durch die Hinzunahme dekorativer Bilder erhöhte. Die emotionale Ladung (positiv vs. negativ) sowie der textliche Bezug (gering vs. hoch) von dekorativen Bildern wurden in drei weiteren Experimenten (N4 = 108, N5 = 86, N6 = 162) zusammen mit einer zusätzlichen Kontrollgruppe ohne dekorative Bilder untersucht. Jedes der drei Experimente ist ein Beleg für den lernförderlichen Einfluss dekorativer Bilder mit positiver Ladung und hohem Textbezug. Im Vergleich zur Kontrollgruppe, erweisen sich dekorative Bilder mit positiver Ladung und hohem Textbezug als lernförderlich, wobei dekorative Bilder mit geringem Textbezug und negativer Ladung also lernhinderlich nachgewiesen wurden. Einen Erklärungsansatz liefern zusätzlich gemessene kognitive Variablen. Zusammenfassend zeigt sich, dass dekorative Bilder durchaus lernförderlich beim Design von Lernmaterialien eingesetzt werden können, wenn moderierende Einflüsse, wie der dargestellte Lernkontext, der Grad der ausgelösten Anthropomorphisierung, der Textbezug, sowie die emotionale Ladung dekorativer Bilder beachtet werden.

This Bachelor’s Thesis introduces a previously unexplored visual artist to the field of Art history: Renata Wrede. Born in 1923 and active until her death in 1998, Renata Wrede produced a varied and colorful corpusof paintings, lithographies, drawings, sculptures, textile designs and pottery, most–but not all -of which is in the possession of her family. Herrigorous artistic training, deep engagement with her other passion –horses –and personal struggles for independence combined to create a varied style with anthropomorphizing images of -among many motifs-horses. Four of these images, taken from different periods of her life as an artist -are analyzed in this thesis paper. The focus on the analysis of the four works is the role of the horses in the picture: What do they do? How do they contribute to the composition? Why are they there? With the help of Renata Wrede’s autobiographical three books, Mitt romerska lejon (My Roman Lion), Juvelskrinet (The Jewelry Box) and Ior och hästarna (Ior and the Horses), the pictures are analyzed from the information provided by the writer and artist herself. The appendix includes a collection of Renata Wrede’s works (incomplete, but extensive) put together by the author of this thesis.

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