Forms of physical interaction have been restricted during the covid-19 pandemic, which has forced civil society organizations (CSO:s), with the aim to create and maintain participation and engagement for their cause, to move activities aimed to create engagement to a digital space. This thesis aims to investigate which lessons these organizations bring with them from the period based on perceived possibilities and limitations with creating engagement in a digital space. Departing from affordance theory and theory of social capital, this paper tries to gain understanding for the relationship between the organizations’ social context and the technological attributes to further understand which implications it has for virtual engagement’s three communicative components: network ties, content, and interaction. With case study research design, five semi structured interviews with employees from five Swedish CSO:s, working with sustainable and global development, were conducted to get an inside perspective of the challenges and possibilities during the period. Results show that even though digital media entails many possibilities in regards to reach beyond geographical borders and effective resource management, the organizations have learned that some communicative aspects of physical gatherings cannot be replaced. The biggest limitation mentioned in regards to digital media is the aspect of informal relationship building interaction which is imperative to create and maintain engagement. Global and sustainable development means an inherent incentive to use inclusive and sustainable solutions, but it is also important to understand which aspects the digital format cannot replace or facilitate if we move towards a future where restrictions may become part of everyday life.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-467957 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Olsson, Elin, Nordström, Laura |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Medier och kommunikation |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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