Flashback is one of the most well known internet forums in Sweden. People visit the site to discuss different topics, to share information, to express opinions or to read posts by others. On Flashback’s ‘crime forum’ the users gather to share information but also to express opinions. These discussions have a tendency to become heated and with the increased wave of gangrelated violence and shootings in Malmö, Sweden 2018, forums like Flashback play an important role in what information is available to the public. This case was used to form the study’s main questions; How are facts used in threads and what are their sources? How do users interpret these events and how is it expressed through reasoning and personal opinions? How are opinions, behaviour and virtual community formed in an environment based on anonymity? To form a case and further investigate these questions we have organized different Flashback posts related to the Malmö-shootings and categorized them into themes. The interpretations would later on show various conclusions. Some conclusions were predicted, while other conclusions were shown when analyzing the material. The results showed that flashback-users use facts when sharing a link, to strengthen the shared information, to support theories about the case and sometimes when discussing the victims or suspects involved. How users interpret the events on Flashback is based on the intention of the individual. Some users are more likely to discuss political aspects. Other users intend to discuss the matter with an humours tone, these posts can be seen as an disinhibition effect (Suler 2004). Identity has shown to be a useful factor when analyzing an internet-forum. A conclusion from analyzing identity shows that behaviours are encouraged when the fear of being exposed is averted. Overall the result shows that the foundation of the virtual community on Flashback is the information that is shared between users.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilka upplevelser unga vuxna har beträffande den virtuella gemenskapen på Internet communities och hur det påverkar deras hälsa och lärande. Studien grundar sig på folkhälsopedagogiskt perspektiv och bygger på en kvalitativ studie. Under genomförandet av arbetet har åtta individer deltagit i individuella intervjuer. I bakgrunden belyser jag hur den teknologiska utvecklingen förändrar det sociala samspelet i samhället. Ökande kommunikation via Internet communities har bidragit till att människor kan ha större sociala nätvärk utan fysiska hinder. Problemområdet var, att den ökande användningen av communities kan framkalla beroende som i sin tur kan ge upphov till stillasittande livsstil. Stress och brist på sömn var de symptom som har visat sig vara vanliga. I litteraturgenomgången tar jag upp betydelsen av socialt kapital, fysisk hälsa och även lärande med multimedia. I diskussionen tar jag upp vikten av socialt kapital relaterat till det virtuella samhället och på vilket sätt det kan påverka hälsa och lärande. Min konklusion av studien är att kommunikation via Internet communities blivit så pass vardagligt att det kan påverka människors hälsa och lärande, samt det även kan vara en viktig faktor för hälsa och lärande. / The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of young adults concerning the virtual community of Internet communities and how it affects their health and learning. The study is based on public health educational perspective and was based on a qualitative study. During the execution of the study, eight individuals participated in individual interviews. In the background I illustrate how technological progress changes the social interaction in society. Increased communication through Internet community has contributed for peoples to have greater social network without physical barriers. The problem area was that the growing use of online communities can cause dependence, which in return can lead to sedentary lifestyles. Stress and lack of sleep were the symptoms that have been shown to be prevalent. In the literature review I illustrate the importance of social capital, physical health and even learning with multimedia. In the discussion I discuss the importance of social capital related to the virtual community and how it may affect health and learning. My conclusion is communication through the Internet comunities has become everyday issue and that it can affect people’s health and learning. Also that it may be an important factor for health and learning.