Kommentarsfältet som stridsfält och missionsfält. Frikyrkliga svenskars identitetstekniker och relation till sociala medier

Abstract

The topic of this thesis is the intersection between Swedish free church Christians’ identities and social media. The main method was qualitative semi-structured interviews in which open questions relating to the topic were asked to the ten participants. Their answers became the basis from which certain themes were drawn and presented. A theory about identities and identity technologies was then used to analyze these answers and themes. The main theory that was used to define what identity technologies are was the one presented by philosophers Moeller and D’Ambrosio in their book You and your profile. In which sincerity in received roles, authenticity in relation to a core self and the use of profiles under certain parameters defined as profilicity were the ones identified by them. The people that were interviewed used social media in a multitude of ways and for a multitude of reasons. There was an ambivalence regarding social media: On the one hand it was seen as divisive both within oneself and the world at large; on the other hand it was seen as a useful place to discuss ideas, share one’s thoughts and keep up with loved ones. Regarding identity technologies it was clear that authenticity was more prevalent for how they expressed how they saw themselves and in what they valued. However, many of them also had a good grasp on the methods of profilicity, especially when using social media. They also expressed that one main way to define oneself was through choosing your present peers, which does not fit into any of the identity technologies defined by Moeller and D’Ambrosio.