This paper describes what causes women to want to be anonymous on social media. Anonymity causes both negative and positive effects online, which we believe makes the topic interesting to examine from a specific user group’s perspective. Through interviews and a web-based questionnaire, this study provides insight into why women choose to remain anonymous, and which strategies they apply to preserve a hidden identity on social media. As the study aims to provide a qualitative answer, a discourse analysis was carried out in combination with a smaller content analysis when interpreting the material. The study shows that women are primarily anonymous to protect themselves against possible threats, as a tool for preserving their self-representation and as a means of releasing themselves from power structures. We see this as an indication that anonymity is an important function to make available for users, to achieve inclusive design.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:sh-37619 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Söderberg, Frida, Engesvik, Line |
| Publisher | Södertörns högskola, Medieteknik, Södertörns högskola, Medieteknik |
| 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 |
Page generated in 0.0025 seconds