Webbtillgänglighet har blivit allt viktigare med den växande digitaliseringen och de rättsliga krav som ställs på svenska e-handlare. För att uppfylla dessa krav måste e-handlare använda ett användarcentrerat tillvägagångssätt vid webbutveckling för att säkerställa att fler kan interagera med deras digitala plattformar. Dessutom närmar sig tillgänglighetsdirektivet som kräver att e-handlare ska uppfylla tillgänglighetskrav. Vår studie visar att den svenska e-handelssektorn ännu inte är tillräckligt förberedd för att möta dessa krav. Studien syftar till att mäta och utvärdera 100 svenska e-handlare med avseende på problemområden inom webbtillgänglighet enligt WCAG 2.1 på A- och AA-nivå. Baserat på resultaten i mätningen kontaktades och intervjuades e-handlare och tillgänglighetsexperter för att få en djupare förståelse för varför e-handlare har omfattande tillgänglighetsbrister och vilka potentiella lösningar som finns. Resultaten bekräftar att de främsta hindren inkluderar brist på kompetens, teknisk förståelse och ekonomiska resurser. Vi ser att e-handelssektorn agerar reaktivt snarare än proaktivt, vilket inte är tillräckligt för att möta de kommande lagkraven. För att uppnå en överensstämmelse med lagstiftningen kan e-handlare söka extern hjälp, involvera funktionsnedsatta i designprocessen och utnyttja tekniska tillgänglighetsverktyg.

Manipulative design strategies, known as dark patterns, have become increasingly prevalent on online applications, exploiting the interface to benefit companies at the expense of users. This study aims to understand whether users notice this type of design strategy, and to understand the consequences of five different types of dark patterns on user interactions. To address this, a prototype with five different types of dark patterns was created and tested with ten participants, who were subsequently interviewed. The results of the user tests and interviews contribute to an understanding of how different types of dark patterns differ in terms of the users interactions and reactions. The study concludes that users ability to notice dark patterns is influenced by how much the strategy disrupts the user flow. The patterns that were noticed also generated stronger emotions, such as frustration, than those that went unnoticed. Furthermore, the study can conclude that previous experiences can both make users more likely to notice the patterns but might also create a blindness to their presence and impact.

The following study examines how brands can use storytelling as SMMA to generate user engagement. This was done by first conducting a qualitative content analysis to understand how brands utilize storytelling as SMMA, and then by conducting a quantitative content analysis to identify which of these factors generate the highest user engagement. The study also investigates which of these factors increase users' willingness to comment the content, in other words participate in eWOM. The results show that to generate user engagement, brands should publish content that is easily accessible and understandable, such as simple image content. ”The Brand Story” and ”The Creation Story” are the types of stories that generate the highest user engagement. However, to increase users' willingness to comment, brands should publish richer media content, such as videos accompanied by narrative text. The types of stories most succesfull in increasing the willingness to comment is instead ”Life crises and success stories”, as well as ”Societal narratives”.

The purpose of the study is to investigate students studying computer systems development and their use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their studies. The research aims to understand how and in what ways artificial intelligence is integrated into programming studies and its effects on students' learning, code comprehension, and motivation, as well as whether the need for social interaction in programming studies has changed as a result of AI. The study was conducted at Malmö University and followed computer systems development students who used AI tools such as GitHub Copilot and Tabnine. The methods included both interviews and surveys to gather data on the students' experiences and preferences. The data was then compared with previous research and theories in relevant fields.

The results showed that the majority of students used AI tools primarily for debugging, which is consistent with previous research. The students' level of experience affected their use of AI tools; experienced programmers were able to benefit more from programming specific AI tools. Students exhibited various reactions to the AI tools, ranging from increased motivation and productivity to concerns about becoming replaceable in the job market. The discussion highlighted the importance of balancing AI use to promote both learning and motivation among students.

This bachelor thesis explores the driving forces behind the implementation of generative AI in work processes among companies and professionals in the advertising and media industry. The study investigates the extent to which implementation has progressed in the industry and how it may affect the industry in the future. Through a combination of qualitative interviews and quantitative analysis of survey data, including five interviews with professionals in the industry, the study highlights the challenges and issues individuals in the industry face when attempting to implement generative AI in workflows. To contextualize the industry's adoption of generative AI compared to other sectors, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Technology Adoption Lifecycle (TAL), and Technostress are used as theoretical frameworks. The results indicate that professionals in the advertising and media industry have a high level of acceptance for the technology and experience technostress as a result of the proliferation of generative AI. The fear of being replaced or losing one's job emerges as a strong motivating factor for integrating and improving skills in the use of generative AI. According to the results, there is a strong belief that changes will occur in the industry as a result of the development. Due to the perceived concern and high level of acceptance within the industry, the advertising and media industry ranks higher on the TAL scale than the average. In summary, the media and advertising industry is in a unique stage of development where the use of generative AI evokes both concern and anticipation. Many see the potential of the technology to streamline and improve workflows, while others are concerned about its potential impact on jobs and the job market. The dual nature of the technology - as a potential solution to increase production and attract more projects while also posing a risk of job loss - is evident. 

The following study focuses on how Instagram affects restaurants and their concept. The results are based on comparative case studies, combined with a netnographic multimodal analysis, of six restaurants in Sweden’s third largest city, Malmö. Findings show that the purpose for using Instagram fulfills three main effects: advertisement, communication and sales. In addition our results show that Instagram is most essential for young restaurants in their ambition to establish themselves. Our conclusion is that restaurants use Instagram to portray their concept, but also that Instagram can change a restaurants concept depending on purpose.

The advancement of digitalization continually progresses, and the integration of digital tools in education is nothing new. Podcasts have surged in popularity over the past 15 years, with a plethora of media now aiming to be used within higher education. This study aims to expand current knowledge regarding podcasts in education. It focuses on examining students' and teachers' attitudes and experiences with podcasts within academia. Building upon previous research and conducting our investigations, we seek to understand the impact of the podcast format as a supplementary learning tool on students' learning processes and motivation. The qualitative research methods employed in this study involved semi-structured interviews with both teachers and students in the field of media technology at Malmö University. The aim of the method was to gather insights from both teachers and students regarding their attitudes and experiences with podcasts in the educational environment. Through interviewing both teachers and students, we have explored the advantages, disadvantages, and attitudes towards the use of podcasts in education. The results suggest that respondents' inclination towards incorporating podcasts in the classroom may also be influenced by their everyday relationship with podcasts. Discussions also address the risks associated with this implementation, which are linked to previous theory. Some concerns are expressed among respondents that podcasts may replace established teaching methods once students are provided with a learning tool that offers them freedom and flexibility beyond the classroom. Nevertheless, respondents generally exhibit a positive disposition towards exploring the use of podcasts in education, emphasizing the importance of using them as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, traditional teaching methods.

Public service is defined as "the public’s interest" and means that it should be there for everyone. However, it has become apparent that parts of the public have lost interest and question the concept of it. The millennium was a turning point for digital services which increased the chances for the public to participate in the creation of productions. The aim of the paper is to increase understanding of it, how, when, and to what extent SVT includes participants through media technology means. The study was conducted using three qualitative semi-structured interviews and one reconstructive interview. The qualitative interviews provided an overview of the production, which in turn provided a basis for gaining an insight into the production using the reconstruction interview. The study resulted in an overview of several productions, a concrete case of the Jobbigt and what current opportunities and challenges SVT faces in engaging with the public. The conclusion demonstrated that SVT currently enables participatory activities mainly through the participatory form of accumulation and uses to some extent the contributions of the participants in the production. This is done mostly in the pre- production phase and least in the last production phase. It was also found that SVT is in the process of developing productions that explore media technology means and that SVT uses both external and internal platforms for inclusion of participants. SVT's main challenge is that they have one leg in traditional creation and the other leg in modern participatory culture. Thus, the whole organization lacks a common idea of how they want or do not want to include participants. From the perspective of participatory culture, SVT's main challenge is to be there for everyone and deliver technical conditions and participatory forms. If SVT lowers the quality of the technical requirement and focuses on engagement, there is a business opportunity for SVT.

In an era where the gaming industry continues to expand and evolve, user experience remains apivotal factor for success. At the forefront of this discussion are first-person shooter (FPS) games, a genre undergoing continuous change and innovation. Understanding how user experience is shaped and enhanced in FPS games require a closer examination of the role and impact of interfaces. Hence, this study aims to investigate how user experience in FPS games is influenced by diegetic and non-diegetic interfaces. The purpose of this study was to explore how user experience in FPS games is affected by different types of interfaces—those that are intrinsic to the game world (diegetic) and those that are external to it (non-diegetic). The study also sought to understand how these interface types affect players' experiences and to identify the  potential advantages and disadvantages of each option. By conducting this study, we hoped to gain a better understanding of how interface design choices can enhance user experience within the FPS genre. The study employs an abductive approach with a comparative research design, and interviews were conducted using semi-structured qualitative interviews. The study draws upon previous theories in areas of interface design, game development, user experience, immersion, player experience and usability. The results of this study indicate that both non-diegetic and diegetic interfaces in FPS games have their pros and cons. Non-diegetic interfaces offer clarity and usability, particularly for experienced players, while diegetic interfaces provide a more immersive experience and increase player engagement. The users' experience and preferences play a significant role in how they perceive different interface types. Dynamic interfaces, which combine both non-diegetic and diegetic elements, may be a successful alternative for balancing the advantages and disadvantages of each interface type. It is crucial for game developers to consider usability and interface design early in the game development process to avoid negative user experiences and create more cohesive and engaging gaming experiences for all users. Ultimately, this study aims to objectively address the research question, despite the subjectivity inherent in user experience, which can vary significantly depending on individual preferences.

This paper analyzes the current possible implementations and limitations of generative AI applications such as Chat-GPT, DALL-E, and Midjourney. The applications were used in a specific scenario to gauge whether it was able to effectively handle a potential request from a client, the scenario was to create a visual identity for a shoe company called WalkWise. The creations are then analyzed using Gestalt theories of perception and the machine-learning mechanisms that run these applications. To understand just how graphic designers may introduce these tools into their process, a process chart describing a typical graphic design process for a project has been created using data gathered from 8 professionals in the field who were interviewed. Using a thematic analysis, common occurring themes/activities were found and visualized in a process chart. The process was later analyzed using theories in process value analysis. Using all this information a conclusion was made that AI-generated art has several limitations that inhibit it from completely replacing human designers. These included: not understanding/generating vector graphics, not understanding objects in 3D space from less natural angles, often generating visual clichés, some potential copyright issues, and not being able to generate words. The implementation was therefore limited to a visual brainstorming tool which could aid graphic designers in quickly visualizing an idea or visualizing several different versions of one idea without having to sketch these differences, thereby making the idea-generating parts of the process more efficient.

Today communication on social media takes place with a wide reach and from several different sources. This has made it more difficult for the user to perceive credibility than before. A current issue today is how we should consume food more sustainably because both humans and the environment are threatened. The study examined how the various components of credibility are perceived by a specific type of user on Youtube. The purpose was to contribute with an understanding of the extent to which a user with knowledge about sustainability perceives Youtube content about sustainable food as credible. Furthermore, the study aimed to highlight credibility in communication about sustainable food. The study applied a qualitative research method with collected empirical data from six semi-structured interviews. The Source of Credibility Model was used as a theoretical framework to contribute the study to investigate the dimensions within the perceived credibility from the user's perspective. Results of the study display that the perceived credibility of Youtube content are affected by various factors and that they can have an individual impact on the user. Honest, realistic, and relatable content enhances credibility. Furthermore, content based on facts and content from a person with experience are factors that increase credibility as well. The user's perceived credibility is also based on the person speaking in the video. In communication about sustainable food, credibility is increased if content comes from a relevant Youtube channel.

Digitization affects most organisations to some extent and museums are no exception. There are several different digital tools that enable the refinement of the museums’ cultural offerings. This study intends to investigate how Malmö museums takes advantage of them. At a time when increasing pressure is being placed on museums to publish their collections to the general population, to be accessible and open, it is relevant to see how Malmö museums choose to display their digital collections. Therefore, this essay is interested in the digital cataloging of museum content in the form of images and objects on Malmö museums database Carlotta. A case study consisting of an observation with the Carlotta-group was executed in addition to a conversation and two interviews with key persons within the museum. The results from this data are discussed in relation to other studies. Furthermore, an object image from Carlotta and one from Rijksmuseum are compared to show their similarities and differences. It turns out that Malmö Museums are aware of what needs to be done to secure their place in the digital sphere, but that there are obstacles such as a lack of resources and skills. Malmö museums encourages others to download, reuse and publish their material as long as they reference it correctly. One of the most important aspects of Malmö museums work is to market themselves as important to the public – a sort of fight for survival, according to one of the respondents. The primary goal for Malmö museums is to provide material to the public based on openness- and publicity principles.

This study aims to explore how the hybrid working methods that have emerged because of the pandemic have catalysed the gig economy in the media industry. Using a deductive research approach, the study formulated a hypothesis based on previous research in the field. Through qualitative interviews with both freelance workers in the media industry and organisations who employ them, the study sought to analyse whether the hypothesis could be confirmed or rejected. The discussion used Maslow’s motivation theory to analyse the empirical results of the study in relation to the research question and hypothesis. The study finds that parts of the hypothesis can be confirmed as hybrid working methods increase the digital competence of both freelancers and organisations, reducing the need for physical meetings with colleagues and partners. Hybrid work arrangements also enable new work opportunities for freelancers outside their local area, as digital communication no longer decreases the professionalism of their work. However, the expected international opportunities of the hypothesis cannot be confirmed due to the study's insufficient number of respondents confirming the outcome. The study also identifies barriers that reduce the security of freelancers when working with foreign clients. The study's conclusion regarding the research question is that hybrid working methods catalyse the national gig economy and should be viewed as a significant factor in understanding the post-pandemic future of the media industry in Sweden.

This study explores the use of scrollytelling, a method within digital storytelling, in comparison to traditional static web formats. The study aims to examine the extent to which interactive and multimedia-integrated content affects user experience, engagement, knowledge comprehension, and retention. A prototype for each format was created to conduct the comparative study. Using a mixed-method approach combining a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews, data were collected from a group of young adults in an academic setting. Additionally, the participants also took a knowledge test to measure their comprehension and retention. The results show that scrollytelling increases both engagement and perceived understanding among participants, with a clear improvement in user experience compared to the static format. While the knowledge test indicated slightly better retention of the information presented in the traditional static format.

The conclusions suggest that scrollytelling offers advantages for digital storytelling, where its dynamic and interactive format can enhance engagement and understanding in comparison to the traditional static format. However, this study does not establish a direct increase in information retention. Nonetheless, the findings underline the potential for scrollytelling in contrast to the traditional static format, and therefore, further research is recommended to explore its optimal design and effectiveness across different contexts.

Increased digitisation in higher education requires the usage of various information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, studies have shown that ICTs induce technostress. The purpose of this research is to explore how technology characteristics influence students’ technostress, and in turn their perceived academic performance. To examine this, a survey was sent out to student’s at MAU in Sweden and a bivariate analysis was conducted to analyse the data. The results showed some technology characteristics were associated with technostress, while some were not. The students’ technostress could, however, not be determined to have an association with their perceived academic performance. The study discusses possible contributing factors to the results. 

At the end of 2019, the covid-19 pandemic broke out, which led to an increased amount of teleworking for companies and their employees at the same time as the use of digital communication tools increased. Teleworking has led companies and organizations to design new working methods and strategies so that the operations can continue without the employees' motivation suffering. This study contains motivation theories, what impact teleworking has on employees' motivation and what consequences this will have on the future work situation in the media industry. Through qualitative interviews and a survey aimed at employees in the media industry, a broader perspective has emerged in the subject. The study's conclusion shows that there are challenges regarding the implementation of telework and the use of digital communication tools, but that it can lead to advantages in certain aspects due to different ways. Finally, the study has also shown that teleworking has led to a changed work situation in the form of a hybrid variant of on-site work and teleworking. 

Personliga data, digital integritet, e-handel, datainsamling, PINTEG.

This qualitative study examines the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on marketing strategies within the music industry. As digital platforms increasingly dominate the landscape, marketing departments are exploring innovative ways to interact with audiences, making the integration of generative AI pivotal. Through interviews with marketing professionals in the Swedish music industry, this research sheds light on the current use, perceived benefits, and challenges of generative AI in enhancing workflow efficiencies and marketing tactics. The study reveal that while generative AI significantly streamlines content creation and consumer interaction, concerns about its reliability and the ethical implications of its use persist. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the transformative role of AI in music marketing, providing valuable insights for practitioners aiming to leverage technology for competitive advantage. 

This study investigates the application and implications of AI-generated content in podcast production. The research particularly explores the use of text-to-speech (TTS) systems and AI language models to simulate authentic-sounding conversations. This study analyzes listener responses to different AI-generated and human-edited podcast episodes through a series of prototypes and interviews with listeners.

Findings suggest that listeners often perceive AI-generated conversations as less authentic and natural than human-made ones, especially due to issues like unnatural intonation and a lack of natural discourse markers. Despite these challenges, improvements were noted in later prototypes where manual editing was combined with AI-generated content. This highlights the potential for AI to complement human creativity in podcast production.

The study concludes that for AI-generated content to achieve the desired level of authenticity, further involvement of human intuition is necessary. Future research should explore refining AI models to better simulate natural conversation flow and focus on enhancing the nuances of human-like speech. The findings also underline the potential of AI tools to revolutionize podcast production workflows.

Ylva Grufstedt investigates the role of counterfactuals in uses of history through game designers and through digital strategy games. It discusses the content, form and perspectives that define different types of counterfactuals in the context of game-making – an effort to outline and detail the values and frameworks that shape the past in this popular media.

This study examines Instagram's role in the climate crisis and how its features work to spread information about the climate crisis among generation Z. The study focuses on this limited area because it is one of the most important issues of our time. The report investigates how young people experience, receive, and interact with climate-related content on Instagram. It has also been examined how interaction with the content affects the ability to achieve real change. The study was conducted by reviewing previous research and conducting a quantitative survey study and a qualitative focus group interview. Our conclusion is that although there are challenges in using Instagram as a platform for climate activism, there are also great opportunities. By presenting climate-related content in an accessible and relatable way, Instagram can play an important role in raising awareness about the climate crisis and promoting collective action. To encourage engagement among generation Z, the study also suggests that Instagram continues to develop its features to make it easier for users to discover and share climate-related content, as well as improve source and information management.

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) is a concept of enhanced web apps which aim to erase the difference between web and native apps. The concept of PWA introduces several benefits, including simpler distribution and development, which makes web apps a viable option for many businesses. The installation process of a PWA is different from native apps and this study aims to understand whether or not it has an impact on the users will to install the PWA. PWA:s are installed directly from the browser, rather than an app marketplace. Said installation process is suspected to be unknown to many which might influence the impact. In this study, several papers on the topic are studied. A PWA is developed from scratch which is used as a platform for a user test, hosting a brief introduction of the topic as well as guiding participants through the installation process. In conjunction with the user test a survey is conducted to collect the impressions from their experience in the user test. The result of the survey shows indications that the suspected lack of knowledge and experience was correct, and that the installation process is not to complicated.Additionally, results show that many probably will not bother to install a PWA, even if it is available. Therefore, I argue that the installation process does have an impact in its current form. Alternatives to the installation process used in this study do exist and are discussed in this paper.

During the Corona pandemic it became almost impossible to travel. This led to a search for alternative ways of escaping the everyday life and to explore the world. In the light of this the technology Virtual Reality (VR) came into focus. This is a descriptive study who aims to give a deep understanding of how travelling in virtual reality are experienced by its users. In the study an experiment was made where 5 persons tried out the VR-app National Geographic Explore where they took a virtual trip to Antarctica. The hardware that was used in the study was Oculus Quest (gen1). The participants were interviewed about their experiences of the trip. The data that was collected from the interviews was analyzed based on the 5 steps method of Giorgi. Conclusions that where made is that the technology still need adjustments because it does not live up to the user’s expectations about the graphics, the photo, or the controllers. The result, however, indicates that the medium creates a sense of reality, a sense which the users sometimes can’t distinguish from the physical reality. The technologies that the users found most important to create the feeling of immersion and sense of reality was the 360 degrees filming with 6 degrees of freedom, the first-person perspective, and the interaction. A conclusion that’s been made is that the more senses the technology can activate the more integrated and closer to reality does the users feel. The situation when the users felt most integrated in the medium was during the activities when the participants used their bodies and not only their eyes. The result of this study indicates that one reason why people travel, both in VR and physical, is to escape everyday life, a type of escapism. 

This thesis examines the effects of digitalization on society and the environment, focusing on e-commerce within the Swedish fashion industry. While digitalization has enabled consumers to shop across borders, it has also contributed to increased overconsumption and environmental impact, especially within the textile industry.

Based on previous research, established and new marketing strategies have been identified. They were then analyzed through focus groups within the customer segments that shop online the most. The study also analyzed consumer behaviors, returns and environmental impacts within the target group to identify which marketing strategies can reduce the return rate within the Swedish fashion industry. This aims to enhance knowledge in the field of sustainability communication with focus on consumer returns within e-commerce in the fashion industry. The results were compiled based on a thematic analysis and suggest that while e-commerce offers convenience and extended access to products, it also leads to high return rates. The high rate of returns is due to a lack of information about product quality and fit from companies. Furthermore, respondents suggest that a more responsible return policy and improved product information can reduce the return rate. Other solutions include more sizes of models, improved personal customer service, and virtual fitting rooms. The results suggest that various media technology solutions can influence the reduction of returns. The most effective method is clear and detailed product information. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of companies prioritizing transparency and maintaining sustainability efforts to manage environmental impact effectively and ensure customer satisfaction. 

The thesis provides insights into consumer awareness and sustainability communication for the business sector, especially e-commerce companies operating within the fashion industry. It also lays the groundwork for future research in sustainability communication related to consumer behaviors and return management. 

In recent years, the extended reality (XR) industry has witnessed remarkable growth, revolutionizing various sectors. The potential of XR to reshape industries and create new business opportunities has captured the attention of entrepreneurs and investors alike, leading to the emergence of numerous early stage businesses venturing into this exciting field. Despite the promising prospects, the XR industry remains in a dynamic and evolving state, presenting both opportunities and challenges for early stage businesses seeking to establish themselves within this competitive landscape. This master thesis aims to explore the experiences of early stage businesses within the extended reality (XR) industry, with the goal of understanding the opportunities and challenges they encounter in the current period of study, spring 2023. The study takes a qualitative research approach, employing observations of early stage XR businesses and semi-structured interviews with professionals within the industry and academia of XR. The analysis is based on thematic analysis applying Disruptive Innovation theory and Adoption Curve Theory combined with Gartner’s Hype Cycle. Together with existing literature the analysis creates a picture of the current opportunities and challenges that exists in the XR field, visualized in a prototype of a 3D mind map. These range from areas such as recruitment, financing and technology development to user adoption, ethics and inclusion. They reflect what businesses are facing in early stages of a relatively new industry as well as some of the political, economical and sociocultural factors. Some of the opportunities are high potential to transform and disrupt industries and markets, creating new ways of interacting in virtual worlds as well as new revenue streams. Some of the challenges are low adoption, funding issues and competition with leading players. Ultimately, the research provides valuable insights of the XR industry which could be used when making strategic decisions for professionals and stakeholders.

The public cultural sector in Sweden has been facing the challenges of digitalization over the last decade. The Swedish government has over these past years introduced various strategies and visions for taking advantage of the opportunities that digitalization provides. Due to the implications of the pandemic, many public cultural sector organisations were forced to go through some form of rapid digitalization. However, it is not known how these rapid digital efforts will affect the public cultural sector going forward. Digitalization is not a one-time event, a change in organisational strategy, processes and culture need to happen for digital transformation to occur.

The case study of Malmö Opera examines the digitizing activities between 2017 - 2022 in the context of digital transformation. The results of the study showed that although digital efforts had been made prior to the pandemic, a rapid period of digitization occurred during the pandemic years. During 2020 and 2021 the organization took substantial strides in digital progress speed up by the impacts of the pandemic. After the restrictions lifted, digital developments in Malmö Opera were at a slow down due to a lack of dedicated recourses that had be available during the pandemic. The findings of this theses suggests that digital transformation is one way to face the challenges that digitalisation provides. By applying a framework or process for the digital transformation journey this provides a tool for decision makers for how to approach digital transformation on an organisational level.

This study explores how a visualization of existing stops and planned trips within public transport along with collected travel data in Umeå municipality can give insight into patterns, connections and flaws in the current public transport model.

Using an abductive approach, where theories are used to confirm or discard our findings as well as test them against theory in practice, our methods used in this study include data collection, prototyping, data visualization, semi-structured qualitative interviews, data mining and data cleaning. Our interviews were conducted with a respondent from Umeå municipality in order togain relevant insights into specific needs, which could in turn be used in our prototype work.

The prototype is a map-based visualization, with animated paths showing actual travel patterns, a cluster layer showing aggregated travel patterns and circle shapes illustrating the position of bus and train stops. The prototype was made using the visualization tool Kepler.gl.

Our findings and the feedback from our respondent show that the final prototype did not include enough key features, such as clear travel connections between different areas within the municipality, and was presented in a way that could have affected the respondent's impressionof the final product negatively.

In conclusion, we found that a shortage of time, poorly anchored time and day scope in our data selection and the manner of presenting the prototype were all important factors that affected the end result.

The video game industry grows bigger and bigger with each year and this growth does not seem to slow down anytime soon. With that, it's important for society and video game developers to know how this media affects the players playing the game as it's already a very big industry, with large numbers of players playing video games every day. Game designers have, and are using information horizons to influence the players in different ways, an example of this is making the player play more cautiously. There have also been previous studies that have shown that music has an impact on a player's behavior and performance while playing a video game, making players more stressed and aggressive being a conclusion for some studies. With this in mind, this study delves deeper into how music in conjunction with information horizons affects a player, playing a video game. This was done by using a controlled experiment in conjunction with a first-person shooter game, the goal of the game being clearing out a linear level of turrets using an automatic rifle. One group of test subjects played a version of the game consisting of high-tension music and information horizon in play, with another group of test subjects playing the same game without these effects in play. Data was collected in the background from each test subject's playthrough and this data was then analyzed and compared between both groups. From the data gathered it seems that music made the players play faster and more aggressively, with the information horizons effect being diminished by the music's overpowering effect. This is in line with numerous previous studies that have gotten similar end results from the effects of music in video games, with an existing research gap with regards to information horizon making the effects of the information horizon unclear.  The end results showed that group 1, playing the version of the game with high tension music and information horizon in play, had fired their weapons more, been less accurate with their shots, destroyed turrets slower, had more deaths, and played faster. These results indicate increased stress levels and aggressiveness with group 1’s test subjects.

Development within digital and social media is redefining how spectators will experience sport in the future. In combination with a pandemic and a global climate crisis, it creates new demands on how sports arenas can generate visitors to their events. The aim of this study was therefore to gain an understanding of the visitor’s expectations on a virtual arena as well as to identify key factors that affect the consumer’s intention to visit a virtual arena. The study has a qualitative approach and empirical data has been collected through three structured focus groups. Unified Theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT 2) was used as a theoretical foundation and was extended with more elements through analysis and discussion, to better suit the current situation.

The results of the study indicated that a virtual arena should contribute added value compared to a physical arena, through access to exclusive material and exclusive areas. Furthermore, it was concluded that expected opportunity for social interaction, expected improved information- and experience consumption and expected opportunity for personalized experience have an indirect impact on the visitor’s intention to use the virtual arena through hedonic motivation and performance expectancy. Effort expectancy proved to be a crucial factor which in turn is affected by accessibility, ease of use, and technical performance. Price value is shown to be a strong decisive factor. Finally, it is stated that interest in the sport is a new moderating factor with a direct impact on the user’s intention to visit the virtual arena. 

Sociala medier är ett fenomen som utvecklats drastiskt under de senaste 20 åren. Instagram och Facebook är två av de mest använda sociala medieplattformarna som har utvecklats markant med digitaliseringen. År 2016 ändrade Instagram sin algoritm, och 2018 gjorde Facebook samma sak. Algoritmerna syftar nu till att skräddarsy användarnas flöde för att visa det som är mest relevant till respektive konto och föra människor närmare varandra. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur Instagrams och Facebooks algoritmer fungerar och påverkar människor. Arbetet ska klargöra hur en algoritm uppfattas, hur plattformarna kan ha gått ifrån sina ursprungliga användningssyften och vilka etiska frågor som väckts till liv i processen. För att uppfylla studiens syfte skapas en undersökning utifrån tre generationer för att studera hur algoritmer påverkar människor och den roll som algoritmer spelar i samhället. Arbetet tar upp såväl positiva som negativa aspekter i relation till algoritmer. En kvalitativ undersökning med kvantifierbar data grundar strukturerade intervjuer i form av webbaserade frågeformulär. I ett första stadie ska respondenterna svara på ett frågeformulär. I nästa stadie ska respondenterna titta på dokumentärfilmen The Social Dilemma och sedan svara på efterföljande frågor i ett avslutande skede.

Studien är en del i ett tvåårigt projekt som undersökt invånarna i Helsingborgs stads inställning till kommunens nuvarande och önskade dataanvändning och digitaliseringsarbete, specifikt vad rör AI­baseradsamkörning av förvaltningarnas invånardata. Målet har varit att ge Helsingborgs stad, liksom andra kommunder i Sverige, underlag för hur datadriven teknik kan användas på ett etiskt gott sätt, utifrån invånarnas perspektiv.

Vad är nytt med nya framväxande medieteknologier? Hur och när blir ny medieteknik gammal? Och går teknikutvecklingen verkligen så snabbt som vi upplever att den gör? Det är några av de frågor som vi kommeratt titta närmare på i det här kapitlet. Syftet är att du ska få inblick ihur du kan förstå och studera medieteknologisk utveckling på ett adekvat sätt. Efter att ha läst kapitlet kommer du kunna ta dig an frågor somrör medieteknologiers interaktion – konkurrens och samexistens – med varandra över tid, samt kritiskt kunna förhålla dig till de möjligheter och utmaningar som finns med nya innovationer och gammal teknik.

A way for a company to extend its competencies is to use outsourcing as a management tool. Previous studies show that SMEs have a greater need for outsourcing but also need support to make the right decision. Academia explains reality through simplified, theoretical models. It’s not always that these models are tested for their practical use. This study contains an evaluation of an newly created model of the decision-making processes to outsource digital marketing activities to examine what controls these decisions within SMEs in Sweden. Five companies took part in this study through semi-structured interviews and discussions about the decision model. The collected theory involves the main subjects: marketing, outsourcing, and the decision model. The result shows how the partaking companies conduct business relating to marketing and outsourcing, as well as their opinions about the decision model. The result has been analyzed and interpreted to the companies' different attitudes about the main subjects as well as the companies' internal qualifications and how this affects the companies. To be able to answer the study's framing of questions the following topics about the companies are discussed: lack of financial assets, lack of competence, competitiveness, lack of time, the decision model as well as the decisions to outsource in relation to the collected theory. Three out of the five SME companies perceive the decision model to be useful. However, the decision-making process is too general to apply to all the different areas of activity within the media industry. 

Today's media society allows young people to come into contact with news through their everyday use of social media. News is interspersed between the friends' photos on the Instagram platform. But can everything be trusted? How do young people know what is true news and what is fake? The phenomenon of fake news refers to disinformation that is published with the aim of imitating true news articles. Thus the purpose of the study is to investigate how the use of social media has affected young Swedes' civic reasoning of news and what the consequences of fake news on Instagram may be. To investigate this, the demonstrations in Iran that started in September 2022, and which were ongoing during the study, were used as a starting point to understand how young people examine Instagram posts.The study has been carried out by compiling qualitative data, mainly from surveys, but also with quantitative data from five semi-structured interviews. The results provided an overall picture of young people's perception of fake news and an insight into what young Swedes' civic reasoning process looks like. The conclusion shows that fake news in connection with the demonstrations in Iran did not affect all young people equally. Some felt that the knowledge of fake news negatively affected their perception of the credibility of any news from the demonstrations. While others, due to the strong emotions the event evoked, saw past the problem of fake news, which affected their civic reasoning abilities. The conclusion also shows that young Swedes have a good idea of what fake news is and the motives behind the spread of fake news on Instagram. However, they feel that the credibility of true news generally decreases, as it is easy to spread fake news on Instagram. This, in turn, can lead to young people avoiding news and news accounts on Instagram to avoid questioning and reviewing news posts they see.In conclusion, young people possess civic reasoning abilities and review posts that they consider skeptical. However, these abilities vary and it is therefore important that they develop their source-critical process, above all as this is essential to be able to navigate among information online.

The gaming industry is unique in the creative and cultural sector. With Swedish developed games reaching over a billion people, it is the country's fastest growing export industry. The study focuses on gender equality in the Swedish computer games industry, where females make up 22% of the workforce. Although female gamers make up 47% of gamers in Europe, insider voices testify to problems such as sexual harassment and inequalities. The aim is to highlight women's perceptions of gender equality in the industry and explore how the industry works to promote inclusion. The qualitative method includes semi-structured interviews, and the sample consists of women associated with game development. Content analysis is used to analyze the interview data. The study aims to increase the understanding and promotion of gender equality in the games industry. In summary, the results of the study indicate that the gaming industry's external measures to promote gender equality are often seen as an external facade without real integration within the organization. Despite efforts, the results indicate that women still face challenges, which emphasizes the need to actively integrate gender equality issues at all levels of the gaming industry.

Den här studien behandlar musikstreamingtjänsters påverkan på svenska musiklyssningsvanor och formatet av musikutgivning. Syftet är att undersöka hur digitala streamingplattformar påverkat lyssningsvanor och formaten för musikutgivning i Sverige. I studien undersöks tre olika skivbolag utifrån en kvalitativ undersökning om deras synpunkter på musikutgivning i form av musikformat, digitalisering och musikbranschensframtid. Studien behandlar även 295 musiklyssnare i en kvantitativ undersökningen som redogör deras lyssningsvanor i användning av musikstreamingtjänster, val av musikformat och förväntningar vid musiklyssning.  

Det resultatet som förekom var att albumformatet inte är ett utdöende format, utan erbjuder fler alternativ för musiklyssnaren samt en personlig upplevelse mellan musiklyssnare och artist. Skivbolag har sedan musikstreamingtjänstens uppkomst behövt anpassa utgivningen av album till streamingkulturen, där tempot är högre. Albumet som format har minskat sedan uppkomsten av musikstreamingtjänster med undantag för lyssnarens favoritartister/band samt genrespecifika målgrupper. Spellistan har tagit en större plats i följd av uppkomsten av musikstreamingtjänster, där musikstreamingtjänstplattformerna har utformat musiktillgängligheten samt personaliseringen av musik anpassat efter svenska musikkonsumenter. Streamingkulturen har även förändrat maktpositionen hos skivbolagen då uppkomsten av skivbolag har ökat, har dom mindre bolagen förlorat sin maktposition medan majorbolagen försvarat sina marknadsandelar som dom innehar hos musikstreamingtjänster. På grund av sitt ägarskap har dem makten att avgöra musikutbudet genom spellistor och rekommendationssystem och kan därmed kontrollera konsumenternas lyssningsvanor.

The purpose of the study is to examine teachers' and students' distant group discussions within Zoom's function breakout rooms, and how the students' involvement has consequently been affected. The study is based on three semi-structured focus groups made with students and teachers with experience of distant group discussions inside breakout rooms. Based on the empirical material from the focus groups, it is clear that the respondents largely focus on functionality, flexibility as well as social relations and camera usability. Based on the empirical material, it appears that there have been benefits in the form of a simplicity and flexibility for the teacher respondents to design group discussions, as well as the flexibility that has given the students increased freedom. However, it appears from the student respondents that the perception of distancing is based on impaired communication with teachers and students, difficulties in the form of distractions and a deteriorating relationship with their classmates, which consequently has affected students' commitment negatively.

Conversations between the PC (player character) and NPCs (non-player characters) in conventional games are usually sequence-based. The NPC talks to a certain point before pending the player's input, sometimes consisting of several prepared actions displayed on the screen in order to advance the conversation. While this method does provide the ability to converse within video games, our study shows it lacks the immersiveness that asynchronously based dialogue provides in some scenarios. Interruptions occur in real-life conversations and may add to a more convincing interaction. In this paper, we present a novel dialogue system that incorporates interruptions alongside emotion, making it possible for different participants involved in the conversation to interrupt and speak over each other while also having lasting consequences. This approach improves conversational players' experience by increasing character believability and engagement. For illustration purposes, interruption was integrated into a text-based game encompassing two variations of the same scenario. The study involved playing both variations of the same game, one being a traditional sequence-based conversation while the other had a fluent dialogue which supports interruption both from the PC and NPCs. Eight students previously familiar with video game dialogues played both variations, half starting with the other version. Each test ended with a survey followed by an interview talking about the answers. Each test took 30-40 min.

The negative impacts of digital technology on the mental health of young people havebeen a topic of much discussion. A number of digital solutions (encompassing mobileapplications or websites) have been tested with young people to gain their feedback,but these tend to be very clinical or explicitly target certain diagnoses. A case studyapproach was used to focus on Flamman, an NGO delivering social programs to youthin Malmö, in order to conceptualize the requirements for a digital media system forpeople aged 13–16 experiencing feelings of social anxiety. Qualitative interviews wereconducted with four teenagers (age 14–15) and four guardians, surveys were deliveredto two local schools, and observations were made on the workings and interactions atFlamman. Three main themes emerged from transcription and coding of all interviews:safety, social interaction, and support, each with several sub-themes. Based on thethemes and survey results, a low-fidelity prototype was developed with an initial focuson security. Future work includes the implementation of additional themes into theprototype and user testing with teenagers and adults.

The study discusses how gamified ads, a so-called advergame that combines game andadvertising, can affect user engagement on a platform like Youtube. A prototype was createdwith the aim of illustrating how gamified advertising on a video platform can be portrayed. Thepurpose of the study is to gain a better understanding regarding users' attitude towardsadvertising and how it influences their engagement to interact with an advergame on a videoplatform. Further, the intention of the study is to evaluate which game elements affect users’engagement on an advergame. The study consisted of qualitative methods and prototypedevelopment. The prototype was developed over two iterations and four usability tests were alsoconducted to improve the prototype. The prototype was then tested in a focus group and in threeinterviews made up of pairs. The interviews were held on site in two cities in southwest Skåne.The result contributed insights into how people interact with digital advertising and theirthoughts about an advergame. The response from the interviews indicated that it is notappropriate to use advergames on a video platform because it interferes with the user's intentionas to why they are on Youtube. Furthermore, it is concluded that game elements such asleaderboards, points and medals promote engagement and encourage the users to interact withan advergame. To get a clearer result, further prototype development as well as tests andinterviews are required.

Samarbeten med influencers har på senare tid fått större betydelse för företag då influencers kan påverka sina följares konsumtionsval. Många företag föredrar att samarbeta med influencers framför traditionella kändisar. Influencers har blivit framgångsrika i sin marknadsföring då de når ut till sina följare på en personlig nivå och detta ökar i sin tur följarens tillit och trovärdighet för influencers. Således har denna studie undersökt hur unga konsumenter upplever trovärdighet och attraktivitet hos svenska influencers som marknadsför skönhetsprodukter på Instagram. 

Uppsatsens syfte var att undersöka vilka variabler som kan komma att påverka unga konsumenters konsumtionsval, utifrån trovärdighetsmodellen från Ohanians (1990) samt Benedics och Granjons (2017) studier. Vidare har studien ämnat att undersöka om influencers upplevda trovärdighet kan påverkas av antal följare. Ytterligare har studien ämnat att testa och undersöka hypoteser kring hur trovärdighet och attraktivitet från trovärdighetsmodellen kan påverka unga konsumenters konsumtionsval. Studien är kvantitativ med webbenkät som datainsamlingsmetod. Webbenkäten har distribuerats till respondenter i åldern 18 – 25 år. 123 respondenter har besvarat webbenkäten och resultatet analyserades med bivariat korrelationsanalysen Pearson’s r i SPSS Statistics.

Slutsatsen visade att trovärdighetsmodellens variabler från attraktivitet respektive från trovärdighet påverkar unga konsumenters konsumtionsval. Däremot påverkas unga konsumenter av variabler inom attraktivitet i större utsträckning än variabler från trovärdighet. Detta tyder på att attraktiva influencers kan vara mer lukrativa för företag att inleda samarbeten med. Även om attraktivitet visade sig vara en viktig faktor bland unga konsumenter, är attraktivitet inte den enda faktor som spelar roll. Vidare visade resultatet att unga konsumenter inte prioriterar antal följare, i relation till trovärdighet.

This thesis is written within the topic of Internet of Things (IoT) and smart homes among young adults in Sweden. Smart homes are taking up more and more space on the housing market and aim to make consumers' everyday lives easier. Factors behind buying a smart home present a gap of knowledge about who the potential buyers are among young adults. The essay is written with the aim of reviewing generation Y and Z’s ownership and regular use of smart home devices in their households in terms of usefulness and ease of use. The aim is also to gain an insight into the willingness of generation Y and Z to buy and pay for a smart home. By using previous research combined with a quantitative study in the form of a web survey, an analysis was formed from the consumers' responses. The result shows that young consumers have a broad knowledge of what IoT means with a majority having at least one smart device in their household. The willingness to buy and pay for smart homes is proving to be varied, with young consumers not yet convinced on the issue. The outcome of the thesis contributes to an interesting discussion about IoT and smart homes from different perspectives and gives you as a reader knowledge about smart home devices and their potential in the housing market.

Due to digitization, the way students work in academia has changed over the years. Students now have to consume and produce more material on the computer than ever before. But despite this, print still has a place in many students' lives as the preferred medium when it comes to reading and writing. This study aims to identify what perceived differences students feel when engaging with the print and the digital, as well as how to best support students in moving between the two. This was achieved by interviewing students about their experiences and opinions regarding the two mediums, where it was found that they make use of both mediums since they mirror each other and by doing so complement each other. The survey was then based on the questions and the answers acquired from the interview and used to quantify the results to have a larger empirical base to work with. Both in the interview and the survey several key problems and behaviors were identified, such as the need for convenience, the emotional attachments that led to students not wanting to highlight in their books and their desire to share material easily. These matters were chosen to be problems that a prototype developed based on the results could potentially solve. The prototype was found to be effective, as the participants brought up several advantages to it, so much so that they would use it themselves if they had the opportunity.

Websites today have less than a second to make a visual impression before the visitor risks leaving for another website. In the hotel industry where customer relationships are highly valued and the face-to-face meeting has in numerous cases been replaced by the hotel's website, the visual impression plays an important role. Each contact a visitor has with a company's website will affect the visitor's feelings towards the brand and thus affect the customer relationship. Generation Z, the large customer segment of the future, requires high quality web design. This means that it is important for companies to understand how their website can make a good impression to capture the target audience. Research shows that visual web design elements have an impact on visitors' satisfaction, trust, and loyalty, which are also three important elements in building customer relationships. By analyzing how the web design elements photo, color, visual order, visual complexity and information design/text affect satisfaction, trust and loyalty, the study aims to create an understanding of how a hotel website can affect customer relationships with people belonging to Generation Z. The study was conducted with a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews and a supplementary questionnaire. Six respondents who belong to Generation Z studied two hotel websites where all web design elements were discussed based on satisfaction, trust, and loyalty. The findings in this study show that all web design elements examined are crucial for meeting the visitor's expectations. Thus, it can affect satisfaction, trust, and loyalty, which in turn has an impact on customer relationships.

In March 2022, approximately 151,500 people were long-term unemployed. Most unemployed people register with the Swedish Public Employment Service, but many feel that the motivation to work towards their goal of getting a job decreases during the process. Through qualitative interviews, this study has investigated whether the use of progression- and performance-oriented game elements in an interface for the job-search process can affect the motivation to undergo it. The purpose was to create a basis for further discussion about the use of progression- and performance-oriented game elements in connection with the job search process. During the interviews, the respondents saw a prototype containing progression- and performance-oriented game elements to get information about their perception of the prototype's potential to influence their motivation. The results showed various factors that were considered to increase or decrease their motivation. The results also showed that the game elements in the prototype offered several of the factors that the respondents considered had the potential to motivate them. Finally, the results show that it is important that a gamification for the job-search process is individually designed and that the game elements used are meaningful to the user in relation to the context.

This study examines the challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. Through a combination of interviews, surveys, and literature review, various aspects of AI implementation are analyzed, including efficiency, productivity, skills development, ethical dilemmas, and collaboration. The results indicate that AI implementation can lead to increased efficiency and productivity by automating routine tasks. However, there are challenges related to employee acceptance, training, and security issues. Furthermore, the importance of establishing ethical guidelines to address potential risks and dilemmas arising from AI usage is emphasized. Communication and collaboration are identified as key factors for successful integration of AI in the workplace. This study highlights the need to understand and navigate the complex dynamics surrounding AI implementation to maximize its benefits and minimize its risks.

Employee advocacy has mainly been studied in Sweden from the perspectives of organizational commitment and strategic application. As a result, this study contributed to the Swedish understanding of the concept through social media. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of employee advocacy in Swedish media agencies to determine whether it is consciously used in corporations. This is accomplished by learning about the attitudes of managers and employees toward employee advocacy on social media. The social exchange theory serves as the foundation for this study. The theory is previous described as a success factor for an effective use of employee advocacy. This study's findings are based on two methods, including qualitative interviews with senior executives and quantitative surveys answered by employees. According to the findings, none of the five companies work with all the success factors related to digital employee advocacy. The most common success factor is employee engagement. The findings also revealed that some businesses made use of the availability of publishing materials as well as managers who set a good example. When a company's management encourages the publication of work-related material on private social media, employees are more likely to follow that example. Employees expressed a desire not to be pressured into digital employee advocacy in order to maintain their personal social media accounts. The social exchange theory formed as a working theory in Swedish media agencies, however it is not complete and thorough. It does not address all underlying motivators for personnel and management.

Today we live in a world where social media is dominant in our communication landscape and characterizes our everyday life. In connection with the development of artificial intelligence, the phenomenon of "Virtual Influencers" has emerged and blurred the line between reality and digital representation. The AI-generated profiles have become important components of marketing strategies, challenging the traditional approaches. That virtual influencers aim to imitate human profiles through their characteristics and personalities raises the question of transparency and reliability of what is published on the various social media channels. It is becoming increasingly crucial to create a sustainable environment on social media in order to maintain relationships between the actors within the industry. Transparency and authenticity must be prioritized between the parties so that the relationships that are built must be based on trust, regardless of whether the profile is human or virtual.