This thesis was conducted since the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that work, as well as workplace meetings, has become virtual. The purpose of the study was to research individual experiences of power relations between actors within virtual, video-mediated meetings in regard to the effect technology, body and place have on these power relations. The Data was collected by conducting ten semi-structured interviews through Teams and Zoom. The result was analyzed within the framework of power through persuasion, authority, and coercion (Turner, 2005), and also by including the concepts of social power and dominance (Linell & Luckmann, 1991). Further, the result was put in a broader academic context by relating it to previous research. The result showed that technology has had an effect on the relations of power by creating new areas of responsibility, by increasing control over oneself and others within meetings, but also by giving people a greater sense of freedom surrounding them. In the second part of the result, it was reported that absence of body during virtual meetings has meant difficulties in being able to give feedback through one’s body language, and that it, in addition, has led to new conditions when it comes to who gets to speak. Third, the result showed that the transition of the workplace from being an office to it becoming a virtual space, in theory, could mean increased access to meetings, but that the person in charge of the meeting has a decisive role in realizing that opportunity. Finally, it appeared as if friction has arisen between norms within the office and norms of the home, and that people within a place of authority has been able to exercise excessive control by demanding that coworkers have their cameras on at all times. The paper ended by giving suggestions on further research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-202773 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Westerback, Jack |
| Publisher | Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för pedagogik och didaktik |
| 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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