The three chapters of this thesis investigate the decision-making processes behind financial and donation behaviour of individuals. Chapter One studies the impact of prior learning and competition on the presence of the disposition effect in a venture capital setting. It reveals that prior learning leads to better venture choices and confirms competition as the most efficient form of resource allocation and management. Chapter Two addresses the empirical finding of a negative relationship between income and charitable giving as a proportion of that income. As the first study to replicate this downward relationship in an experiment, it exposes income rank information as one of the factors causing the relationship. Using a unique dataset from a natural experiment in Chapter Three, I explore the effect of increased publicity via additional visibility and information on the household donation behaviour. The results show that donations increase with public announcements and the announcement order. / Los tres capítulos de esta tesis investigar los procesos de toma de decisiones que describen la conducta financiera y la donación de los individuos. Capítulo I estudia el impacto de la formación previa y la competencia en la presencia del efecto de la disposición en un entorno de capital de riesgo. El estudio confirma que la formación previa favorece el proceso de selección y que la competencia permite la asignación más eficaz de recursos y gestión. Capítulo II investiga la presencia de una relación negativa entre los ingresos y las donaciones (representados en proporción de esos ingresos). El capitulo presenta los resultados del primer estudio que examina esta relación con un experimento y propone que entre los factores que explican esta relación es la información sobre los ingresos personales comparado con los de sus compañeros. Capítulo III utiliza una base de datos única que contiene los resultados de un experimento natural y presenta resultados empíricos sobre el efecto de una mayor publicidad a través de la visibilidad e información adicional sobre el comportamiento de la donación de los hogares. Los resultados muestran que las donaciones aumentan con los anuncios públicos y el orden de estos anuncios.

In this study the experiences, perceptions and challenges of being in a mixed-race relationship (M-R) were explored against the backdrop of previous South African pieces of legislation meant to keep the various race groups apart. The study was located within a conceptual framework predominantly informed by a constructivist approach, as well as some tenets from the social constructionist approach. This study focused only on M-R relationships consisting of black and white partners. The couples were recruited through the use of a snowball sampling method. In-depth interviews were used as the primary tool for collecting data. All participants were interviewed by the researcher either at their own homes or in the researcher's office. The collected information was later transcribed and qualitatively analysed. The results of the study indicate that individuals found their involvement in M-R relationships to be a positive experience, and thus resulting in a positive attitude change and a sense of personal growth. M-R couples and their extended families experienced cognitive dissonance which required them to discard their previously internalised racial stereotypes, using strategies such as cognitive differentiation, re-categorization and de-categorization, allowing shifts toward non-racial socially constructed categories. Most of the challenges of being in M-R relationships were experienced on interpersonal and inter-group levels. The losses, disadvantages, challenges, concerns and pains experienced by M-R couples were mainly related to family and social disapproval of the relationship as well as efforts to discourage race mixing. The study concludes that the non-conformist nature of M-R relationships requires from the participants a high level of self-differentiation and individuation that challenges racial norms and cultural collectivism. Albeit being a personal or private matter, a M-R relationship carries the burden of easily being the subject of public discourse. It is in this sense that M-R relationships cannot be understood without taking the socio-political context within which they occur into consideration. / Psychology / D.Phil. (Psychology)

The research aims to study how the communication context within the Arab cultures influences the employees' perception of equity and reaction to inequity. Specifically, the study explores how employees from Arab cultural backgrounds communicate with each other within the Saudi working context; and how they collect, interpret and use the different contextual information - from the contexts in which they live and work - in order to make judgements about issues related to the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. In order to study the research topic, a conceptual framework is developed to reconcile between Equity Theory, Social Comparison Theory and Hall's Context Model; and as a base serving the process of designing/choosing the methods of collecting and analysing the data. Three main research questions are developed which are about (i) how the communication context is related to employees' willingness and ability to react to inequity (ii) how the communication context shapes the nature of inequity reactions executed by employees and (iii) how the communication context is related to the way equity is perceived among employees. A modified version of critical realism is adopted to focus on exploring the mechanisms, within the communication context, which influence the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. A combination of retroduction and abduction is developed in a sense that retroduction is used to direct the research toward exploring the structure and mechanisms within the research setting, while abduction is used to draw conclusions about how the phenomena studied in the research are evolving by the structure and mechanisms. A mixed methods approach is adopted in the research. The research includes data from thirty-five semi-structured interviews which are conducted in mainly three Saudi private-sector organisations located in Jeddah with twenty-nine male employees and six male managers of six different Arab nationalities. Template analysis is used to analyse the qualitative interview transcripts and field notes, while cluster analysis is used to group the research participants based on their quantitative responses. The research finds that there are no clear-cut areas separating the activities linked to the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. I also conclude that the perception of equity norms and equity comparison components can sometimes be separate activities. Some factors such as the religious interpretation, face-saving, and contextual norms and powers influence the employees' willingness to react to inequity by altering the way in which those employees perceive equity norms. Here, unwillingness decisions are often made not as a result of personal conviction but as a compromise based on the personal evaluation of the surrounding context, realising the inability of the self to react to such situations in the first place. Thus, it can be concluded that inability to react to inequity can reduce the employees' willingness to react against under-rewarded situations. The process of perceiving equity comparison components is found to be related to the type of reaction adopted to re-establish the equity; this relationship is represented by groups affiliated by a hidden factor or factors, which is more influential than the ethnicity/nationality of the group's members. The research makes a methodological contribution to knowledge by suggesting a new approach to study human relations through the communication context; a conceptual contribution by combining the concepts of equity perception, social comparison and communication context in one conceptual framework; and an empirical contribution by providing a fresh insight to contextual themes in the Saudi working environment.

Syftet är att undersöka hur självkänsla är relaterat till användandet av sociala medier, samt om det föreligger några skillnader mellan pojkar och flickor gällande självkänsla, spenderad tid på och beteende i sociala medier. Frågorna som ska besvaras är: (I) Finns det ett samband mellan självkänsla och spenderad tid på sociala medier? (II) Finns det ett samband mellan självkänsla och aktiv användning av sociala medier? (III) Finns det en skillnad i självkänsla mellan aktiva och passiva användare av sociala medier? (IV) Finns det en skillnad mellan flickor och pojkar gällande självkänsla, spenderad tid på och beteende i sociala medier? Studien utgår från en kvantitativ ansats och materialet samlades in med hjälp av enkäter. Urvalet bestod av 140 stycken ungdomar (13–16 år) och valdes ut genom ett bekvämlighetsurval. Deltagarna fyllde i enkäten under lektionstid. Enkäten var en sammanställning av tre olika mätinstrument, RSES (Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale), Social Media Engagement Questionnaire (SMEQ) och Passive and Active Facebook Use Measure (PAUM). Enkätsvaren bearbetades slutligen statistiskt med korrelationsanalyser och t-tester. Resultatet visade på svaga negativa samband mellan självkänsla och de tre variablerna spenderad tid, aktiv social användning respektive aktiv icke-social användning. Resultatet visade inte på någon signifikant skillnad mellan passiva och aktiva användare. Pojkar rapporterade högre nivåer av självkänsla än flickor. Flickor rapporterade högre nivåer av passiv användning, aktiv social användning och aktiv icke-social användning än pojkar. En möjlig slutsats är att det finns en koppling mellan användningen av sociala medier och individens självkänsla. Resultatet i denna studie visade på att hög användning av sociala medier kan vara relaterat till en sämre självkänsla. Det verkar även finnas tendenser till skillnader mellan pojkar och flickor gällande både självkänsla och användningen av sociala medier. Det behövs ytterligare forskning på den yngre generationen för att ta reda på hur den unga individen kan använda sociala medier på ett sätt som främjar självkänslan. / The aim of this study is to examine how self-esteem is related to usage of social media, and if there are any gender differences between boys and girls regarding self-esteem, spent time and behavior on social media. The questions to be answered are: (I) Is there a relation between self-esteem and spent time on social media? (II) Is there a relation between self-esteem and active usage of social media? (III) Is there a difference in self-esteem between active and passive users of social media? (IV) Is there a difference between girls and boys regarding self-esteem, spent time and behavior on social media? The study has a quantitative approach and the material was collected by using surveys. The sample consisted of 140 adolescents (age 13-16) and was selected through a convenience sample. The participants filled in the survey during class. The survey was a compilation of three different measuring instruments; Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSES), Social Media Engagement Questionnaire (SMEQ) and Passive and Active Facebook Use Measure (PAUM). The answers were processed statistically with correlation analyses and t-test. The result showed weak negative correlations between self-esteem and the three variables spent time, active social usage respective active non-social usage. The result didn’t show any significant difference between passive and active users. Boys reported higher levels of self-esteem than girls. Girls reported higher levels of passive usage, active social usage and active non-social usage. A possible conclusion could be that there is a connection between social media usage and self-esteem. The result in this study showed that large amount of social media usage could be related to lower self-esteem. There seems to be a difference between boys and girls regarding self-esteem and social media usage. Further research on the younger generation is needed to find out how the young individual could use social media in ways that promotes self-esteem.

Användningen av självkvantifieringsapplikationer är utbredd, men dess utförande långt från fulländat. Den användning som förekommer är nästintill uteslutande koncentrerad till självförbättring. I denna undersökning appliceras denna trend av självförbättring på en global hållbarhetskontext med syfte att minska klimatpåverkan kopplat till livsmedelskonsumtion. Här avses undersöka hur återkoppling i en självkvantifieringsapplikation kan utformas för att förändra en specifik vana, köttkonsumtion. Undersökningen som utfördes bestod i en kvantifieringsstudie där deltagare på egen hand kartlade sin livsmedelskonsumtion utifrån huruvida den var vegetarisk eller ej. Deltagarna i studien fick ta del av olika typer av återkoppling på sin konsumtion. För hälften av deltagarna sattes den personliga konsumtionen i förhållande till den genomsnittliga konsumtionen. Den andra hälften tog istället del av vetenskapligt grundade påståenden om hur konsumtionen måste se ut för en hållbar framtidsutveckling. Ingen av grupperna visade på någon definitiv beteendeförändring av köttkonsumtionen. Deltagarna efterfrågade olika återkoppling beroende på deras mål och viljor samt förkunskaper. Självkvantifering i detta syfte togs väl emot och deltagarna var positiva till användningen, men önskade ytterligare återkoppling. / The use of Quantified Self (QS) applications is widely spread, however, its design and potential is far from fulfilled. Today, its main focus is on self-improvement. This essay aims to investigate how self-improvement can be put in a global sustainable context and how the feedback in a QS-application can be designed to change one specific habit, meat consumption. The survey consisted of a logging phase where participants logged their food consumption in terms of whether each meal was vegetarian or not. The participants in the study were divided into two groups that got two different types of feedback on their consumption. The first group’s feedback consisted of a relation between each participants individual meat consumption related to the mean score of the rest of the group, while the other group got information about scientifically established facts about future sustainable meat consumption. Neither of the groups showed any definite behaviour change in their meat consumption. Results show that the participants had needs for individually designed feedback depending on their motivation, ability and attitudes to the issue. The concept of self quantization got positive feedback in the post-study survey participants were asked to answer, although many of participants requested more interactivity and differently designed feedback content.

The thesis analyzes how a theoretical framework and method can be formulated to make mental illness visible in photographs posted on social media. The aim is to create a basis for further research. The framework is built on time, conversation, and language. Based on Susan Sontag, Roland Barthes and W J T Mitchells thoughts, a timeline is drawn. On it, both emotions and bodies are constantly present. Jon Kabat-Zinns mindfulness method is used to give an insight into how emotions can be handled with inspiration from eastern meditation techniques. The typical “yoga image” is analyzed. It is characterized by a woman doing a yoga pose, often placed in the middle of the image surface in an exotic place. The body ideal is recognized from other fitness contexts. The material is from @kinoyoga which is run by the yoga profile Kino MacGregor. Examining photographs that communicate perfect health puts this thesis questions at the forefront. The study shows that photographs on social media are not static objects but are parts in an ongoing documentation where meaning is not given. Instead meaning keeps transforming and is contently renegotiated. When the boundaries between the physical and digital realities are blurred, it becomes difficult to distinguish the needs of the image from one’s own. The emotional experiences of shortcomings and desires can occur and start to interact. As Instagram's algorithms exploit these emotions, it becomes difficult to break the vicious circle. Instagram users are forced to abide by the app's rules. The responsibility for the ill health generated should be the owners of for-profit companies and political institutions with the power to legislate.

Syfte  Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur media påverkar 15-åringars hälsa och välbefinnande. Genom att söka kunskap om de mediala påverkansprocesserna, syftar denna specifika fallstudie till att skapa en bättre förståelse genom följande tre forskningsfrågor:  Frågeställningar 1.     Vilken är den främsta källan där ungdomarna hämtar och erhåller hälsorelaterad information?  2.     Hur påverkar den tillgängliga informationen om hälsa på sociala medier ungdomarnas kroppsuppfattning? 3.     Vilka andra faktorer påverkar ungdomarna till att vara hälsosamma? Metod Studien utgår främst från den kvalitativa forskningsansatsen där semistrukturerade intervjuer har legat till grund för datainsamlingen. En kvantitativ enkät har använts för att samla data om respondenternas konsumtion av sociala medier. Respondenterna har valts utifrån ett bekvämlighetsurval och de medverkande är åtta tjejer och åtta killar som går i årskurs nio inom norra Stockholmsområdet. Analys av empiri har inledningsvis förberetts genom kodningsanalys för att senare belysas med hjälp av meningstolkning. Som teoretiskt ramverk för analys har författarna tagit utgångspunkt i socialkonstruktivistiska teorin, genusteorin, samt teorin om social jämförelse.     Resultat Ungdomarna hämtar hälsobaserad information från fyra olika källor: sociala medier/internet, skolan, hemmet samt i samband med fritidsaktiviteter. Den mediala påverkan är påtaglig och ungdomarna jämför sig med som de som är relevanta för dem, utifrån den individualistiska livsstilen. Tjejerna tenderar att jämföra sig mer än killarna på sociala medier. Killarna ägnar mindre tid än tjejerna på sociala medier. Studien har identifierat tre kategorier kring vad som motiverar ungdomarna till att vara hälsosamma: välmående, motivation och slutligen investeringsvärde. / Aim This study aims to investigate how media influences 15-year old’s health, and well-being. By seeking knowledge into the media influencing processes, this specific case study aims to create a better understanding through the following three research questions: Research questions 1.     What is the primary source of information for these young people to obtain and receive health-related information? 2.     How does the available information on health on social media affect these young people's body image? 3.     What other factors influence these young people to be healthy? Method The study is based on the qualitative research approach where semi-structured interviews have formed the basis for the data collection. A quantitative survey has been used to collect data on respondents’ social media consumption. The respondents have been selected based on a convenience sample, and the participants are ninth-grade students, eight girls, and eight boys, within the northern Stockholm area. Analysis of empirical data has initially been prepared by coding analysis to be elucidated later with the help of interpretation of meaning. The authors have utilized the social constructivism theory, the gender theory, and the social comparison theory as the theoretical framework for analysis. Result The adolescents retrieve health-based information from four different sources: social media/internet, school, home, and in connection with leisure activities. The media influence is palpable, and the youth’s compare themselves with those they find relevant, based on the individualistic lifestyle. Girls tend to compare themselves more than boys on social media. The boys spend less time than the girls on social media. Further, this study has identified three categories of what motivates these adolescents to be healthy: well-being, motivation, and finally, investment value.

No description available.

In 2020, 89% of Internet users in Sweden used social media and young women reported the highest frequency of use. Through a qualitative approach, the aim was to gain an understanding of young women's experiences of their social media use and online self-presentation. The participants were women between the ages of 18-23 years. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis, which resulted in three main themes: Another reality, It Will Probably Get Better And Between The Own Will Of Being Sexy And The Pressure To Be So. The results showed that young women present their ideal-selves, that likes were a controlling mechanism and comparisons online were perceived to be endless. Furthermore, it was described that young women's bodies are presented on the basis of the ideals and the pressure to have the ideal body was perceived to be constantly present on social media. However, there were also experiences of a more positive wave emerging on social media, which is instead characterized by acceptance of one's own and other women's bodies. Finally, an ambivalence was captured in the participants to, on the one hand, want to share sexually challenging images of themselves, and, on the other hand, feel pressure from others to do so. / År 2020 använde 89% av internetanvändarna i Sverige sociala medier och unga kvinnor rapporterade högst användningsfrekvens. Genom en kvalitativ ansats var syftet att få en ökad förståelse för unga kvinnors upplevelser av sin sociala medieanvändning och framställning online. Deltagarna var kvinnor i åldrarna 18-23 år. Sju semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes och analyserades utifrån tematisk analys, vilket resulterade i tre huvudteman: En annan verklighet, Det blir nog bättre samt Mellan den egna viljan och pressen på att vara sexig. Resultaten visade att unga kvinnor framställer sig utifrån sina bästa sidor, att likes var en styrande mekanism och jämförelser online upplevdes vara oändliga. Vidare beskrevs att unga kvinnors kroppar framställs utifrån idealen och kroppshetsen upplevdes vara konstant närvarande på sociala medier. Däremot fanns även upplevelser av en mer positiv våg som tar sig fram på sociala medier, vilken istället kännetecknades av acceptans gentemot sin egen och andra kvinnors kroppar. Avslutningsvis fångades en ambivalens hos deltagarna att å ena sidan själva vilja dela med sig av sexuellt utmanande bilder, å andra sidan känna en press från andra att göra det.

Sociala medier har blivit en integrerad del av människors liv under det senaste årtiondet, och användare jämför sig ständigt med innehållet de ser. Forskningen pekar på att sociala medieprofiler, med sina anpassningsbara funktioner och feedback-möjligheter, intensifierar social jämförelse och kan ha negativa följder på användares välmående. För att skapa förståelse över hur hälsosam social jämförelse kan stöttas valde vi en kvalitativ forskningsansats, där vi genom fokusgruppintervjuer har tolkat användares utsagor. Studien utgår från användarens perspektiv eftersom det är användarens förmåga att jämföra sig som är i fokus. I slutsatsen presenterar vi sex angreppssätt för hur sociala medieprofiler kan stötta en hälsosam social jämförelse. / Social media has become an integral part of people's lives in the past decade, with users constantly comparing themselves to the content they see. Research indicates that social media profiles, with their customizable features and feedback capabilities, intensify social comparison and can have negative effects on users' well-being. To gain insight into how a healthy social comparison can be supported, we employed a qualitative research approach, interpreting users' statements through focus group interviews. The study focuses on the user's perspective since it is the user's ability to compare themselves that is the central focus. In the conclusion, we present six ways of approaches on how social media profiles can support a healthy social comparison.