Today's media landscape is larger and more diverse than ever before. Individuals are fedwith news and information from many different types of media. When competition ishigh, media actors need to stand out to be noticed, sometimes to the extent that the truthis omitted or embellished. The purpose of this essay is to examine the consequences ofthe spread of false information on social media. The material of the essay consists of 25Swedish videoclips from YouTube and is intended to investigate how well the videoportals (headlines & thumbnails) correspond to the actual content of the videos. Themethod used in the essay is a quantitative coding of these videoclips and a multimodalanalysis from a selection of these coded video clips. To fulfill the purpose of the essay,theories and concepts such as misinformation and disinformation, filter bubbles, andselective exposure theory are used. The results of the study showed that many videoportals do not correspond at all to the content that the clip possesses. They oftenexaggerate or add details that make the video clip stand out more or appear moreinteresting for the audience to engage with. The consequences of false information spreadon social media can be many. For example, it can contribute to somewhat distortedworldviews. If individuals in a society are fed with incorrect information, it becomes moredifficult to get a fair picture of the world. It can also become normalized that thingswritten on social media are often not true, which leads to it becoming commonplace tobuy into small lies and not trust the information and news consumed online.

This study presents an analysis of UR Play's homepage and its use of visual and textual elements as online control mechanisms from a technographic perspective with a focus on social semiotics. The study employed the social semiotic method of multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA). The findings revealed that UR Play employed conventions - socially accepted meanings familiar from other websites - in a user-oriented manner from a technical perspective, providing users with a sense of control and choices. For instance, program images were designed as clickable links, clearly indicating their interactive nature when the mouse hovered over them. UR's power as an established, trusted actor was expressed through the linguistic categorization and the determination of which programs received attention. Discourses of UR as a trusted knowledge authority were reiterated through lexical choices. The study emphasized the importance of digital literacy as a prerequisite for analysis and the need to develop new concepts within media research to better comprehend these dynamics. / Denna studie visar en analys av UR Plays startsida och dess användning av visuella och textuella element som styrmedel online utifrån ett teknografiskt perspektiv med ett socialsemiotiskt fokus. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av den socialsemiotiska metoden multimodalt kritisk diskursanalys (MCDA). Resultatet visade att UR play vid undersökningens genomförande använde konventioner - socialt vedertagna betydelser, bekanta genom andra webbsidor, på användarorienterat sätt ur ett tekniskt perspektiv som gav användarna en känsla av kontroll och valmöjligheter. Exempelvis hur programbilder byggts upp som länkar och tydligt visade sig klickbara när musen hovrade över dem. UR:s makt som etablerad aktör med högt förtroende tog sig uttryck genom språklig utformning av kategorier och genom bestämmandet av vilka program som fick uppmärksamhet. Diskurser av UR som betrodd aktör med makt över kunskap upprepades genom lexikala val. Studien underströk vikten av digital litteracitet som en förutsättning för analys och behovet av att utveckla nya begrepp inom medieforskningen för att förstå dessa dynamiker bättre.

Global alcohol- and drug consumption is a big health problem, despite the fact that the amount of usage has decreased throughout the years. Our interest for this study arose because earlier research showed that films, series and television can affect viewers' perceptions regarding alcohol- and drug use. Thus we were interested in examining how alcohol- and drug use is constructed in the teen dramas Skins UK and Euphoria, considering that these series manage subjects such as drugs, alcohol and addiction. The method this study conducted was multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) because this method is used to analyze audiovisual materials. The theoretical framework for this study consists of poststructuralism, socialsemiotics and filmsemiotics to analyze and identify discourses in our empirical material. Our empirical material was analyzed by looking at poses, facial expressions, lexical choices, distance, sound and music. The results showed that the construction of alcohol- and drug use in the respective series was more negative than positive. Four discourses were identified from the results: escapism, anxiety management, connection and self-destructiveness.

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of how sectarian tensions can be harnessed, nourished and spread in Lebanon. It does so through a case study on the speech delivered by Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, on 18 October 2021, where he accused the Christian party, and former militia, the Lebanese Forces for killing seven Shia Muslims in a protest four days earlier. More specifically, this thesis is a Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis with the aim to examine how we can understand the discourse on Christians and how that discourse is shaped through Nasrallah’s framing of himself, Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces. With conspiracist elements, Nasrallah creates a dichotomy of us and them where them is the threat that also helps to define what is us. It is a highly polarizing speech, where he frames the Lebanese Forces as a political enemy and a threatful organization without morals that wants to sow division and create a civil war in Lebanon. In contrast, Nasrallah depicts Christians as part of a larger us that wants peace and stability. However, within the us, Christians are depicted as exposed, vulnerable and in need of protection which stands in contrast to Hezbollah that is immensely strong and can protect Christians. Meanwhile, he encourages and mobilizes Christians to act against the Lebanese Forces. Thus, despite a rhetoric about unity among Christians and Muslims, the main finding of this thesis is that Nasrallah seeks support from Christians by spurring sectarian tensions and sowing division within the Christian camp, with the goal to gain power.

Dagens kvinnor blir allt mindre förlåtande och mer publika med det behandlande de får ta emot (Chamberlain, 2016), vilket vi uppmärksammat genom att allt fler influencer publicerar den kritik och de trakasserier de får ta emot online. I dagens samhälle har influencer kommit att få en allt starkare röst samt större socialt inflytande (Freberg, Graham, McGaughey & Freberg, 2011). Det är därför viktigt att analysera vilken kritik och vilka trakasserier kvinnliga influencer publicerar samt hur de bemöter den orättvisa behandlingen för att eventuellt få en uppfattning om hur influencernas agerande kan påverka till exempel deras följare.   Studien grundar sig i de feministiska teorierna cyberfeminism samt digital feminism för att ur ett feministiskt perspektiv kunna tolka hur kvinnliga influencer använder sig av Instagram för att belysa diskrimineringar. Multimodal kritisk diskursanalys (MCDA) kommer även att tillämpas som teori samt metod för att kritiskt kunna analysera influencernas bemötande.  De kvinnliga influencernas val att publicera och bemöta den kritik och de trakasserier de får ta emot kan tolkas som att de belyser och uppmärksammar olika diskrimineringar. Valet att publicera och bemöta kritiken och trakasserierna leder till att de både reproducerar men även motarbetar patriarkatet. Den typ av kritik och trakasseri som publiceras är kritik mot agerande och värdering, sexuella trakasserier, dömande kritik, kritik mot profession samt trakasseri mot utseende. Diskurserna som återspeglas i influencernas bemötande kan tolkas som att de dels skyddar sig själva och avsändaren, antar ett mer maskulint beteende samt tar tillvara på sin roll som influencer för att belysa en diskriminering för att utbilda sin publik. / Today's women are becoming less forgiving and more public with the treatment they receive (Chamberlain, 2016), which we have noticed by increasing numbers of influencers publishing the criticism and the harassment they receive online. In today's society, influencers have come to have an increasingly strong voice and greater social influence (Freberg, Graham, McGaughey & Freberg, 2011). It is therefore important to analyse what criticism and harassment female influencers publish and how they respond to unfair treatment in order to get an understanding of how influencers actions can affect, for example, their followers. The study is based on the feminist theories cyberfeminism and digital feminism in order to be able to interpret from a feminist perspective how female influencers use Instagram to highlight injustice. Multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) will also be applied as a theory and method for critically analysing influencers’ respond to criticism and harassment. The female influencers’ choice to publish and respond to the criticism and the harassment they receive is interpreted as a way in which they illuminate and draw attention to different discriminations. The choice of publishing and responding to the criticism and the harassment they receive, results in them both reproducing but also counteracting the patriarchy. The type of criticism and harassment that is published is criticism of action and valuation, sexual harassment, judgmental criticism, criticism of profession and harassment against appearance. The discourses that are reflected in the influencers’ respond can be interpreted as both protecting themselves and the sender, embracing a more masculine behaviour and taking advantage of their role as an influencer to highlight an injustice to educate their audience.

Studien har fokuserat på hur feministiska aktivister använder sig av det sociala mediet Instagram. Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka hur aktivisterna har använt sig av text och bild samt samspelet mellan dessa och vad för typ av budskap som har kommunicerats. Materialet i studien baseras på sammanlagt tio inlägg från de feministiska aktivisterna Sarah Delshad (sarahdelshad), Anna (notondietanymore) och Natashja Blomberg (ladydahmers). De teoretiska utgångspunkterna för studien har varit den tredje vågen inom feminismen och multimodal kritisk diskursanalys. Den tredje vågen anser att dagens aktivism är mer individbaserad än förut samtidigt som vågen fortsatt att fokusera på att sprida det feministiska budskapet, men nu till en större publik. Den andra teoretiska utgångspunkten, multimodal kritisk diskursanalys, har också har använts som metod i studien med hjälp av olika analysredskap. Analysen visade på att inlägg kunde innehålla flera olika typer av teman och det var inte alltid som text och bild samspelade. De teman som framkom i studien var: stereotypiskt, informativt, personligt, egofunktionellt och normbrytande. De feministiska aktivisterna använde sig av olika former av teman som olika typer av strategier för att nå ut med sina budskap. / This studie is about how feminist activists use the social media Instagram. The purpose of this studie is to investigate how the activists are using text and images and how they interplay with each other and what kind of message they communicate. The studie is based on ten posts from the feminist activists Sarah Delshad (sarahdelshad), Anna (notondietanymore) and Natashja Blomberg (ladydahmers). The theoretical approaches of this studie is the third wave feminism and multimodal critical discourse analysis. The third wave feminism is more individualized than the waves before while the focus still remains on spreading the word of feminism, but on a bigger scale. The second theoretical approach, multimodal critical discourse analysis, is used as a method as well through different analytical tools. The analyze showed that the posts could contain several different themes and there was not always an interplay between the text and the image. The following themes appeared: stereotypical, informative, personal, ego functional and norm-breaking. These themes were used by the feminist activists as different types of strategies in order to spread the word of feminism.

This thesis investigates how body positivity and sustainability are discursively constructed by fast fashion brands. The brand chosen as a case study is H&M, as it describes itself as being both environmentally and socially involved. Yet, despite H&M's claims, during our preliminary research we were able to detect the lack of accessibility of sustainable collections to plus size customers. In this essay, we analyze how H&M communicates body inclusivity in its sustainability reports, website, and YouTube campaigns promoting conscious lines. Drawing on theories of representation, biopolitics, and post-feminism, we sought to critically analyze the previously mentioned material through a multimodal critical analysis. The results show how H&M discursively constructs health communication in different ways depending on which clothing line the brand is promoting and to which consumers it is being advertised. Class discourses were recognized, leading to exclusive access to sustainable clothing for higher income shoppers. We believe this work is relevant to opening up the discussion about democratization and making sustainable items fully accessible to everyone.

Studien ”När den anklagade blir till offer” ämnar belysa och problematisera mediernas roll när det gäller representationen av sexualbrottsanklagelser. Medierna kan ha potentialen att påverka den allmänna opinionen om sexualbrott och det är därmed viktigt att uppmärksamma hur representationer förmedlas. Studien undersöker olika diskurser och myter i dokumentären Persona non grata som skildrar Soran Ismails mediala och personliga fall efter de våldtäktsanklagelser han mottog under 2017. Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgår ifrån representationsteorin, genus och könsmaktsordningen samt våldtäktsmyter. I vår analys har metoden multimodal kritisk diskursanalys använts tillsammans med analysverktygen lexikala val, attribut och scenmiljö, sociala aktörer samt kategoriseringar inom våldtäktsmyter. Analysen resulterade i att vi kunde utläsa tre diskursiva teman som bidrog till en ojämlik representation av sexualbrottsanklagelser i dokumentären, där offrens perspektiv uteslöts. Resultatet visade att den anklagade porträtteras som offer genom de sociala aktörernas roller, samt i de kommunikativa valen när han bemöter anklagelserna. Vi fann även flera våldtäktsmyter som bidrar till hur den anklagade representeras i dokumentären — 1) Förövare utgörs enbart av enstöringar, 2) Förövare utgörs endast av underklass, 3) Förövaren är motiverad av lust, 4) Våldtäkt är lika med sex, och 5) Kvinnor använder våldtäktsanklagelser för att få uppmärksamhet. / The study "When the accused turns into the victim" intends to shed light on and problematize the media's role in the representation of sexual crime allegations. Media may have the potential to influence public opinion on sexual crime and it is therefore important to pay attention to how representations are conveyed. This study examines various discourses and myths in the documentary Persona non grata which portrays Soran Ismail's medial and personal collapse after the rape allegations he received in 2017. The study's theoretical framework is based on representation theory, gender studies and gender power structures, and rape myths. In the analysis, the method multimodal critical discourse analysis has been used together with the analysis tools lexical choices, attributes and stage environment, social actors, and categories within rape myths. The analysis resulted in three discursive themes that contributed to an unequal representation of sexual crime allegations in the documentary, where the victims' perspectives were excluded. The results showed that the accused is portrayed as a victim through the roles of the social actors, as well as in the communicative choices when responding to the accusations. Several rape myths were found that contribute to how the accused is represented in the documentary - 1) The perpetrator consists only of solitary confinement, 2) The perpetrator consists only of the underclass, 3) The perpetrator is motivated by lust, 4) Rape is equal to sex, and 5) Women uses rape allegations to get attention.

The Swedish television game show series På spåret has aired since 1987. Participation in På spåret has been connected to prestige and status, where a display of knowledge is seen as admirable, but unsuccessful performances are stigmatized. This is a possible result of the television show’s representations of cultural capital. The aim of this study is to examine how cultural capital is represented in På spåret, and how these representations have changed over time. The study is grounded in Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of embodied, objectified, and institutionalized cultural capital. Furthermore, Stuart Hall and Roland Barthes are used to explain representations in media and their meaning. A multimodal critical discourse analysis was used on three episodes from three seasons: 1987, 2004/2005 and 2022/2023. The analysis concerned linguistic aspects, where connotations, modality and authority were analyzed, as well as visual aspects, where objects and settings were examined through the lens of denotation and connotation. It was found that both linguistic and visual aspects mattered in the representation of cultural capital. The linguistic aspects mostly concerned words with connotations to formal situations or knowledge, and expressions of authority through knowledge, while the visual aspects included pictures of architecture and art or objects such as books and clothing. Some representations changed over time, primarily the studio and the tonality, as well as the distance between audience and participants which increased throughout the seasons. The study provides a new perspective on cultural capital in television and shows how television affects power relations and symbolic violence.

Companies have an important role to play in sustainability initiatives as they have great power to drive development. Working with sustainability issues can be seen as crucial to their survival, as various stakeholders today place high demands on companies to take responsibility in this area. This study aims to critically examine The Body Shop’s sustainability communication in order to gain a deeper understanding of how the company constructs a sustainable brand. The study is based on the following questions: (1) How does The Body Shop communicate sustainability? (2) Which discourses are most prominent in The Body Shop’s communication? (3) What does The Body Shop convey through its sustainability communication? The material consists of The Body Shop’s sustainability report, as it is an important part of a company’s sustainability communication. The study’s theoretical framework is based on theories of critical discourse theory, consumer society, brand identity and brand activism. Furthermore, the methodology of the study is multimodal critical discourse analysis, where we have used different analysis tools to study both visual and textual elements of the company’s sustainability report. To see how The Body Shop relates to the sustainability discourse and constructs a sustainable brand, different discursive themes were identified based on the roles the company takes in its communication. The two most prominent roles are the role of the fair company and the role of the innovative company, which further contribute to the maintenance of the sustainability discourse. The result shows that The Body Shop communicates in a transparent way, using informative and persuasive language which creates a sense of credibility. We can conclude that The Body Shop presents itself as a leader in the field and often as the solution to various societal problems. Finally, The Body Shop presents its sustainability communication as a goal rather than a means, as it appears that sustainable development is the company’s sole purpose.