Fenomentet vlogg, kort för video-blogg, har blivit en del av det moderna, digitala medielandskapet. Det har också blivit en del av människors liv när de följer skaparna och tittar på dess vloggar på en daglig basis.  Från följarnas perspektiv har vi undersökt vikten av människorna bakom vloggarna. Mer specifikt undersöker vi hur följare påverkas av skaparen av en vlogg och försöker förstå förhållandet mellan dem. Genom att intervjua personer i åldrarna 16-30 år, som följer minst en vloggare i kategorin livsstil har vi granskat teorier så som parasociala relationer, normbrytande och autencitet.   Resultatet tyder på att det parasociala förhållandet är otillräckligt för att förklara förhållandet mellan en följare och en vloggare. De främsta anledningarna till att man följer vloggare är; underhållning, intresse, inspiration och stöd. Dessutom fann vi att följare uppskattar vloggare som är autentiska och ärliga. Slutligen tyder även resultatet på att det kan finnas en skillnad mellan män och kvinnors följande av vloggar. / The phenomenon of vlogs, short for video log, has become a part of the modern digital media landscape. It has also become a part of peoples’ lives when they follow the creators and watch their videos on a daily basis.  From the perspective of a follower, we have investigated the importance of the people behind the vlogs. More specific, the aim of the study is to examine how followers are influenced by the creator of a vlog and try to understand the relationship between them. By interviewing people aged 16-30 years, that follow at least one vlog of category lifestyle-vlog. We have examined parasocial relationships, norm-breaking and authenticity theories.   The result suggests that the parasocial relationship is insufficient to explain the relationship between a follower and the creator of a vlog. The main reasons for being followed are; entertainment, interest, inspiration and support. Moreover, we found that followers appreciate and choose vlogs that are authentic and honest. Finally, the result also indicates that there may be a difference between men and women's following of a vlogger.

Der fortschreitende Wandel im Energiemarkt tangiert mittlerweile viele Bereiche unseres Lebens. Mit Hilfe von intelligenten Netzen, in denen sämtliche komponenten miteinander vernetzt sind und aktiv kommunizieren, soll ein wesentlicher Beitrag zur Erhöhung der Energieeffizienz geleistet werden. Bestandteil dessen sind Smart Meter. Man versteht darunter fernablesbare Stromzähler, die unter definierten (aber dennoch aktuell diskutierten) Rahmenbedingungen in Gebäuden die traditionellen Ferraris-Zähler ersetzen sollen.

Det finns en utmaning för designers att skapa digitala miljöer som främjar aktivitet, för att skapa goda vanor och rutiner som leder till växandet av communitys. Online communitys kan ibland sakna målstyrning som leder till minskat engagemang och motivation för medlemmar att bidrag till communityt. Det kan vara svårt för deltagare i dessa digitala miljöer att se vilket värde deras egna bidragande skapar. Eftersom online communitys får en allt mer växande roll i dagens samhälle när distanskollaborationer blir allt vanligare är det relevant att undersöka dessa problem. Tidigare forskning uppmärksammar social loafing som en förklaring till minskat engagemang och motivation i samarbeten. Vad som har kunnat påvisa förebyggande faktorer för denna negativa utveckling är att om individer blir påminda om deras värde till en community kan bidragandet öka, samt att gruppmål kan ge en mer bidragande effekt än individuella mål. Vad som även påverkar motivationen hos deltagarna är arbetsmönster i form av vanor och rutiner och den gemensamma grund som etableras mellan parter som inleder samarbeten. Denna studie fördjupar sig i aktiviteter hos innehållsskapare i kreativa online communitys inom spelutveckling, musikproduktion och andra typer av distanskollaborationer som är beroende av datorstödd kollaborativt arbete (CSCW). Resultat från intervjuer och enkätundersökningar har analyserats med hjälp av Aktivitetsteorin för att förstå vilka vanor som leder till framgångsrika kreativa samarbeten i en online community. Detta har genererat riktlinjer för design av digitala plattformar avsedda som online communitys och grundar sig i de aktiviteter som etablerar gemensam grund och deltagarkultur. Ett bästa praxisexempel presenteras även, baserat på de fynd från datainsamlingen som beskriver en distansbaserad musiktävling som främjar deltagande kultur och etablering av gemensam grund. Fortsatt forskning inom online communitys för kreatörer rekommenderas eftersom det finns ett behov tillgodose användarens specifika behov som grundar sig i personliga mål men även deras specifika användande av externa verktyg. / There is a challenge when designing digital environments that promotes activities for the purpose to creates routines and habits leading to the growth of a community. Online communities could sometime lack objective management, resulting in lowered engagement and motivation amongst the members to contribute. Members in these environments sometimes struggle to see how their contribution can make an impact. The importance of online communities has a greater role in society while attitude towards distance collaborations are becoming familiar, consequently investigating these issues is relevant. Previous research has observed this behavior and defines it as social loafing, groups and communitys lack contribution even though they have many members. What has been found as a prevention to this negative development shows that individuals are more likely to contribute when their value are acknowledged. What also has a motivating and positive effect is when they are assigned group-oriented goals rather than just assigned goals individually. Establishing routines, habits, and common ground between members of a collaboration has a role in this development. This study explores activities amongst creators that are active in creative online communities oriented in game development, music production and other types of distance collaborations dependent on computer supported collaborative work (CSCW). The results gathered from interviews and user-surveys, has been analyzed through Activity theory, to better understand the habits that leads to successful creative collaborations in online communities. We propose design guidelines for development of digital platforms that serves the purpose for online communities and stems through the activities that establishes common ground and a culture for participation. We also present a best practice example based on the finding, describing a distance facilitated competition in music production that promotes participation and establishment of common ground. Taking to account the wide variety of different technical and individual needs and goals of multidisciplinary creators serves as a suggestion for further research.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone in some ways, with restrictions and social distancing. People had to adapt and learn how to deal with the situation. Some people turned to online communities to get social interactions they no longer could get in real-life due to restrictions. The aim of the study is to create an understanding of how people engaged in online communities deal with the pandemic with the help of their community. Can people create a new form of social capital online and get the support they no longer can get through offline resources. Previous studies show the possibility with online communities and how people that are missing resources offline search for new ways to make up for it, with help of online resources. The study was done with observations through chatlogs and conducting sixsemi structured interviews with members from two different communities. The collected empirical data was analyzed with Pierre Bourdieu theory of socialcapital and Nicholas A. Christakis and James Fowlers theory about networks.The outcome shows that there is a possibility for people to move resources such as social capital to an online environment, but all members need to put inmore effort and energy to make it possible. Furthermore, online communities have an advantage over offline communities due to not being limited to a physical location. The main conclusion is that online communities give their members possibilities to compensate for missing resources. However, it needs the right circumstances to create a social capital

Firms pursuing an open innovation strategy have increasingly turned to individuals as sources of new ideas. Two main approaches are often highlighted. First, firms can use online innovation contests, where individuals submit ideas in competition for a prize. Second, firms can use firm-hosted online communities, drawing from collaborative efforts of individuals with more intrinsic motivations to participate. A central challenge in both cases is that firms often struggle to sustain participation and effort of participants on an on-going basis. A third hybrid approach, where firms establish community-based innovation contests, has been largely ignored by research, but seems to help firms to engage participants on an on-going basis. This study focuses on community-based innovation contests to understand how firms engage communities to participate in contest over time. I conducted fieldwork at two firms that have successfully run them for many years, Chicago-based T-Shirt firm Threadless and Phoenix-based automotive firm Local Motors. Over ninety interviews with firm employees and community members, over six months of on-site observation at the two firms’ headquarters as well as internal documents and blog data have been collected and analysed. Based on this data the core of the thesis consists of three empirical chapters that examine how firms are able to engage the communities to participate in their contests on a regular basis. First, it shows that the addition of a community to contests increases contestants’ opportunities to learn. In experiential learning, contests provide experience whereas the community provides room for reflection and learning. These learning opportunities motivate contestants to come back and create contest entries on an on-going basis. Secondly, taking a social identity perspective, the research shows how the firms are able to engage the community members continuously by creating a joint firm-community identity. Lastly, it explains how these firms are able to influence community members’ perception of the tasks they are doing through the contest design. Firms are able to turn activities that have been traditionally regarded as work into a recreational activity.

Using Grounded theory this thesis analyses the forms of support that are present on two online anorexia forums. Data was collected through non-participant observation and online interviews with members of two online anorexia forums, one pro-anorexic in orientation, one pro-recovery. Despite the clear differences that exist between the two communities, continuities are strongly apparent, especially when looking at these forums as support environments. This thesis illustrates that support is conditional, that is takes on a variety of forms in any one environment and highlights the role of offline discourses in shaping online support. It also provides an in-depth comparison of two online anorexia forums.

The aim of this research is to investigate factors affecting active participation in Business-to-Business Online Business Communities (B2B OBCs). The primary objective of the study was to develop a framework to better understand the important factors affecting members’ active participation behaviour in B2B OBCs. To achieve the main goal of this research, an integrated framework was developed underpinned by three well known theories: Uses and Gratification (U&G), Social Exchange (SET), and Information Systems Success Model (ISSM). A mixed method approach (partially mixed sequential dominant status design) was employed to answer the research question and achieve the objectives of the study. Accordingly, this study was carried out in two phases. During the first phase an exploratory study was carried out to further explore the framework. For that purpose semi-structured interviews with twelve members of B2B OBCs were conducted. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis utilising NVIVO and this assisted in discovering another important factor ‘service quality’, which reflected on the moderator’s role inside B2B OBCs. Subsequently, service quality was added to the model. The exploratory study is also helped to develop a new measure for active participation in the context of B2B OBCs as this study was unable to adapt the measure for the construct from prior studies due to the discrepancy in the literature. In the second phase of the study, a quantitative approach (online questionnaires) was employed to test the developed framework. Using non-probability convenience sampling technique, 521 useable online questionnaires were collected from 41 B2B OBCs on LinkedIn. The collected data was then analysed using a second generation approach (SEM) utilising AMOS. During the data analysis, two U&G constructs (functional need and hedonic need) were found to have a positive impact on active participation. Yet, the direct association between psychological need and active participation was not significant. Nevertheless, the construct found to have a positive and indirect relationship with active participation. In addition, two of the SET constructs (reciprocity and affective commitment) were also found to have a positive association with active participation. Trusting beliefs was found to have no direct impact on active participation. Further analysis revealed that the relationship between the two construct was indirect via affective commitment. Furthermore, three factors that were identified under ISSM, information quality, system quality, and service quality, were also found to be the antecedent of trusting beliefs but they did not have a direct impact on active participation. Information quality and service quality were also found to have an indirect and positive impact on affective commitment and active participation. The analysis also revealed that members from different industry types had different participation behaviour in B2B OBCs. The research outcomes made several contributions to the literature. These include a new measure for active participation and service quality. This provides a new validated instrument for B2B OBC researchers to adapt in the future. Further, an integrated model for factors affecting active participation in B2B OBCs was developed. This also provides a foundation for future studies in the field. The final results of this study demonstrate the appropriateness and robustness of the developed model, and further suggests that any attempt to investigate members participation behaviour in B2B OBCs will be incomplete unless all three theories (U&G, SET, and ISSM) are cosnidered. Moreover, this study helped to extend the existing knowledge on Online Community (OC) defintions, OC taxonomies, OC commitment, and OC trust. Finally, the findings of this study propose several guidelines to assist B2B OBC providers to build and maintain successful communities.

Modern teori kring marknadsföring har skiftat fokus från en varudominerande logik gentemot en tjänstedominerande där värdeskapande, och mer specifikt samskapandet av värde mellan producent och konsument är centrala byggstenar. Tidigare studier har presenterat praktiker som användare i varumärkescommunities använder för att skapa värde, ofta på fanbaserade communities där användarna är beundrare av ett specifikt varumärke. Denna uppsats syftar till att utröna hur värdeskapandet för konsumenten skapas på de internetbaserade communities där både konsument och producent närvarar, och avviker därför ifrån rent fanbaserade och konsumentstyrda communities. Uppsatsens resultat härstammar ifrån en empirisk undersökning som delvis består av observation utav hundratals foruminlägg postade på The Spotify Community, ett community drivet av Spotify, det digitalt streamande musikföretaget. Utöver det har två frekventa användare av forumet intervjuats för att erhålla personliga åsikter kring communityt och värdeskapandet. Det empiriska resultatet mynnar ut i att det generellt visade sig att konsumenter anser sig delaktiga i värdeskapandet, och företagets närvaro genererar en trygghet hos konsumenterna att få svar på önskemål, problem och dylikt. Vidare resulterade empirin i att de värdeskapande praktiker som undersökts utvecklar en något annorlunda fysiologi när företaget är en aktör i communityt.

In the past decade Higher Education Institutions have experienced tremendous growth in enrollments. To meet this demand, many higher education institutions have embraced online education and its requisite technologies. Online education has matured, and studies focusing on the cognitive domain indicate that distance education is as effective as the traditional face-to-face instructional modality. However, there is a scarcity of affective domain studies due to: a) the need for the institutions of higher education to perform quantitative studies to establish the quality of online education b) the affective domain's inherent subjective nature, and c) the educational research environment has slow recognition of the validity and value of qualitative research. This scarcity of research has created a reluctance to engage in online education on the part of a large number of private and public mission-driven educational institutions. Historically these institutions place great emphasis on the affective domain and currently believe that the affective domain cannot be effectively promoted in the online environment. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that if online education cannot provide the affective component, then it is counterproductive to the mission of the institution desiring to provide a transformative education. This reluctance threatens the existence of many mission-driven institutions by falling behind in the distance education market place. Quality research is needed in the area of the affective domain in distance education to convince these institutions that the affective domain can effectively be taught in the online environment. This grounded theory study of an established online Bachelors of Radiography Program has developed a theory as to why students report a strong sense of mission when compared with other like institutions in the Mission Engagement Consortium for Independent Colleges (MECIC). Through a series of interviews with eight students, two alumni, four faculty, and the requisite coding, six contributing pedagogical phenomena and three central categories emerged. The three central categories, Instructor Persistence, Synchronous Encounters, and Integrated Institutional Mission, when working together, were found to have created continued and significant impact on the affective domain for the students of the Radiography program. Further research will be needed to quantitatively test the theory developed in this study and establish a baseline of best practices in promoting the affective domain in the online learning environment.

The concept of communities and the interaction between people are not new concepts. People have always gathered around common conditions shared by those in the group such as shared emotions, interests, beliefs and needs. It is however the way we interact, with whom we interact, and when and where these meetings take place which has changed. This has been a direct result of the development of the internet and exacerbated with the move to the second phase of internet development. This second phase of internet development provides users with real-time functionality enabling interaction with global users in a virtual environment. This interaction is termed online social networking and takes place in online communities.Online communities present opportunities for marketers as they give rise to a virtually unlimited number of different consumers, structured around finer consumption and marketing interests. Research indicates that online community users are market-oriented and therefore online communities provide a meaningful medium of exchange for these users. The challenge for companies today has been trying to develop ways to capitalise on this trend and raise their competitive advantage. However, in order to effectively understand these users, an understanding of their characteristics is fundamental to the development of any tailored marketing campaign. This thesis therefore aims to shed an insight into a segmentation model designed for online communities - firstly by empirically testing it and secondly, by enriching the data with a typology of online buying behaviour characterised by psychographic and behaviour variables. Therefore the research question posed is “Can online community users be classified by their online buying behaviours so that they are useful to marketers?”.The empirical data was gathered quantitatively through an online questionnaire designed to classify the respondents into meaningful segments and clusters. The report reflects a social constructionist methodology where the results have been interpreted and given meaning. The report is based on the segmentation models presented by Kozinets’ ‘virtual communities of consumption’ and Barnes et al. typology on online buying behaviour. This report combines the two models in order to enrich the segmentation model presented by Kozinets’ with attributes of online buying behaviour in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of online community users. The results indicated that the four online user profiles defined in Kozinets’ model did not show differences in their online purchasing behaviour. Rather all online community users could be categorised by Barnes et al’s three clusters of online buying behaviour.