Tillsammans är vi ensamma : En kvalitativ studie av ett internetforum tillägnat socialt isolerade människor

• Main Author: Malmborg, Björn
• Format: Others
• Language: Swedish
• Published: Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för socialt arbete (SA) 2014
• Subjects: Loneliness; hikikomori; identity; social withdrawal; netnography; content analysis; outsiders; deviant career; Ensamhet; identitet; social tillbakadragelse; netnografi; innehållsanalys; avvikare; avvikarriär
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-38272

This is a study that aims to investigate what is being spoken about on an internet forum created for people who suffer from extreme loneliness. The study aims to answer questions regarding the users identity and general opinions regarding live a life of more intense solitude. The basic scientific approach of the study is centered around two terms, taken from Howard S. Beckers book "outsiders" (1997). These two terms are "outsiders" and "deviant careers", both dealing with the subject of deviant behavior. The method used to collect data is a relatively new method known as "netnography". This new method centers around studying subcultures on the internet. The main method of analyzing the collected data was the method known as qualitative content analysis, which is a method that centers on condensing and coding various parts of a text, so called "meaning units", and then categorizing these units into categories and themes for analysis. The main findings where that the users saw themselves as deviants, and had no problem in doing so. However, it was also found that varying opinions regarding what is "better" between following the norms of society, and to lead a life of this particular form of deviancy was a topic the users seemed to be divided on. Loneliness was a central part of their identity and a lot of the users did seem to favor living lives of isolation, although a lot of users also seemed to want more social interaction with society. A consensus regarding what was "the good life" was as such relatively hard to find, but there nevertheless seemed to be a strong sense of solidarity between the users against what was deemed to be "the normal people".