Syftet med denna studie är att utveckla en förståelse för mottagarnas upplevelse av företags samarbeten med influencers. Forskningsfrågorna för studien är: Hur upplever mottagarna behovstillfredsställelsen när företag samarbetar med influencers? och Varför uppstår en parasocial relation mellan mottagarna och företag? Det teoretiska ramverket är uses and gratifications samt parasocial relation. Studien utgår ifrån en kvalitativ metod, som baseras på fyra fokusgrupper med tre respondenter i varje grupp med en abduktiv forskningsansats. Resultaten av studien kommer fram till att mottagarna upplever att de tillfredsställer identitets-, förströelse- , underhållnings-, samt informationsbehov genom samarbeten mellan influencers och företag på Instagram. Resultaten visar vidare att en parasocial relation kan uppstå mellan mottagaren och influencern om kriterierna relaterbarhet, samhörighet, trovärdighet samt autenticitet uppfylls i samarbetet.

We are currently in the middle of the digital marketing era where technological developments have made it possible for customers and businesses to communicate around the clock. Social media is a tool that makes it possible for companies and brands to create and maintain relationships. To understand social media usage and the motivations behind it, Uses & Gratifications theory is commonly used. Motivations are important when exploring consumer behaviour and understanding the customer journey. A customer journey can be explained as the different touch-points a customer has with a firm during a purchase cycle. Marketing on social media often has different objectives where purchase intention is one important, since it indicates the real value of advertising on social media. Earlier research has not combined these three concepts: motivations to social media usage, the customer journey and purchase intention and this gap got us interested in examining the relationships between these. To do this we developed two research questions: RQ1: Do motivations to use social media affect stages in the customer journey?  RQ2: Do the different stages of the customer journey affect purchase intention?  The purpose of this study is to investigate motivations that lead to social media usage and if these affect the stages in the customer journey, and further how the customer journey affects purchase intention. We also wanted to investigate if usage of social media has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. To answer our research questions and fulfill the purpose of this study, we conducted a quantitative research targeting students in Sweden.  Based on existing literature regarding social media, motivations, Uses & Gratification theory, the customer journey, customer decision process and purchase intention we created a theoretical framework and a conceptual model whose aim was to explain relationships between motivations to use social media, the stages of the customer journey and purchase intention. We also developed 12 hypotheses that we tested and included in the model. We collected data by using an online questionnaire and then analysed it and ran tests in SPSS. Our results showed that 4 out of 12 hypotheses could be supported: There is a positive relationship between cognitive motivation and the pre-purchase stage of the customer journey; There is a positive relationship between cognitive motivation and the purchase stage of the customer journey; There is a positive relationship between hedonic motivation and the pre-purchase stage and lastly; There is a positive relationship between the pre-purchase stage and purchase intention. The conclusion is that changes in purchase intention mostly rely on the impact of the pre-purchase stage. The pre-purchase stage is in turn affected by cognitive and hedonic motivations to use social media.

Online fandom communities exist as a hub of subcultural construction for people across the globe. For queer people, fandom represents a space to safely converge over mutual interests. Previous research has focused on queer fans and popular music fans independently, often taking a pathological approach. This study qualitatively examines queer participants in the Katy Perry fandom through surveys and one-on-one interviews. The theoretical backbone of the study is built around uses and gratifications theory, seeking to understand motivations for fandom participation. The concepts of the heteronormative matrix and queer resistance are additionally incorporated to analyze how LGBTQ+ fans combat societal norms. This research found seven motivations for queer fans to participate in online fandom, providing insight into an understudied community.

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Målet med denna studie är att genomföra kvalitativa intervjuer med svenska 60-talister och undersöka hur och varför de använder Facebook, med särskilt fokus på deras användning utifrån ett Uses and gratifications-perspektiv och ett generationsteoretiskt perspektiv. Syftet med studien är att bidra med fördjupad kunskap om 60-talisters tankar och upplevelser kring Facebook, deras vardagliga Facebookanvändning, samt om varför de använder applikationen utifrån ett Uses and gratifications-perspektiv och ett generationsteoretiskt perspektiv. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med åtta svenska 60-talister undersöker denna studie tre forskningsfrågor där det empiriska materialet analyserats utifrån en tematisk analysstrategi. Det teoretiska ramverket för denna studie består av Uses and gratifications och generationsteori. Resultatet visar att 60-talisterna är aktiva Facebookanvändare vilka använder flera olika funktioner på plattformen för att kommunicera samt ta del av och interagera med olika typer av innehåll. Slutsatsen dras att deras starka anpassningsförmåga gentemot Facebook bidragit till att de aktivt använder plattformen i sin vardag. Genom denna användning tillfredsställs flertalet olika behov och samtliga sökta gratifikationer erhålls, vilka är betydelsefulla för att de ska använda Facebook. Därutöver konstaterar studien att 60-talisternas användning av Facebook skapat två nya behov vilka kan tänkas grunda sig i deras generationstillhörighet som svenska 60-talister.

The aim of this study was to investigate how social media was used by Swedish female pensioners during the Covid-19 pandemic and what significance it has had to them. During the pandemic, many elderly people, who have been considered a risk group for the disease, have had to isolate themselves in their homes to avoid getting ill. The study was conducted through individual qualitative interviews with eight Swedish female pensioners aged between 70-80 years who were users of at least one social media platform. The two research questions for the study were: 1) How and why do female pensioners use social media? 2) How do female pensioners experience social media's meaning and impact on them during the pandemic? The interviews were semi-structured and executed using an interview-guide. The answers from the interviews were coded to find keywords and themes. Four themes were found and used as titles for the different sections of the analysis chapter. Uses and gratifications theory was used to analyze the interview results. Results showed that social media was mostly used as a way to pass time, but also for social interaction and acknowledgement through likes and comments. Social media was also used for information seeking, entertainment and keeping up with what other people posted. The pensioners overall had a positive attitude towards social media. Even though not all of them seemed to have used social media more than usual during the pandemic, it seemed that social media might have had some special meaning during the pandemic to many of them. This might be due to the possibilities for communicating with others even with the risks and restrictions that the pandemic brought. This study can help with a better understanding of what social media usage can mean in terms of communication and loneliness for pensioners and elderly.

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The demand for audiobooks is higher than ever--and increasing each year, surpassing the growth rate of electronic books, print books, and the US economy overall. Audiobooks have long been used to aid adolescent and struggling readers; however, recent studies have revealed that the majority of audiences consume audiobooks for the purpose of entertainment and relaxation. Despite this, much of the research available on audiobooks still applies to audiobooks as they are used in education. The purpose of this study was to understand the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of people who love listening to audiobooks. The study was conducted using Q methodology, a behavioral research approach that combines quantitative and qualitative methods in order to measure audience perspectives. The results produced four factors: (a) Busy Bookworms, who listen because they do not have time to sit down and read; (b) Non-Readers, who enjoy audiobooks because they dislike reading physical books; (c) Experience Lovers, who listen so they can be immersed in a world of their own; and (d) Entertainment Seekers, who view audiobooks as a reward to motivate them to accomplish mundane daily tasks. The results of this study also revealed nuanced multitasking behaviors, as well as psychological gratifications for audiobook consumption.

Instagram is revolutionary in social media and networking, but little is known about the factors, social or psychological, that motivate users to become constant users on this app. A comprehensive survey was created, 277 college-aged Instagram users responded about their motivation, attitude, purpose, and primary activities regarding Instagram. The results show that Instagram users have five fundamental social and psychological motives: social interaction, archiving, self-expression, escapism, and peeking. Results showed that males were different from females in the following areas of using Instagram: create a personal space, interact with a number of people, keep in touch with friends far away, get updates on close friends and family, provide updates on life, or show off. Also, there was only one significant difference in the results of the age group: in using Instagram to keep in touch with friends far away, the 21-23 and 30+ age groups were significantly different.