Browsing School of Arts and Communication (K3) by Title

Agent O - Utvecklingen av ett mobilt lärospel
Fergusson, Christopher; Karlsson, Daniel; Zuta, Festim : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2006)	bachelor STUDENT ESSAY

Att skapa en helhet mellan ungdomstidning och dess webbplats
Svensson, Mattias; Stenberg, Henrik : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2009)	bachelor STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:	One problem that can occur, when developing a website for a youth magazine, is that the website ends up losing the connection with the magazine. In the end, only the name of the website reveals that it is associated with the magazine. To try and work out an answer to how you can combine a youth magazine with its website, this project takes a closer look on how this could be done with the Swedish music-themed youth magazine OKEJ. The project and research led to the conclusion that it is important to take advantage of the competence around the magazine, like in OKEJ’s case the skill of writing articles that engage the target audience and OKEJ’s connections with celebrities. The project led to a bulleted list with four advices on how to combine a youth magazine with its website. • Take advantage of the competence around the magazine, like in OKEJ’s case the skill of writing articles that engage the target audience and OKEJ’s connections with people in the music industry. • Instead of developing for example a video service from scratch, take advantage of other already fully developed services like YouTube that a lot of users already are familiar with. • Build the website around the core of the magazine. In OKEJ’s case it was the music, celebrities and the communication between readers. • Make use of the possibility to have a direct contact with the readers, which is one of the big advantages internet has compare to magazines. In this thesis, you will get an in-depth view at the research, concept designs, results and conclusion.
Swedish abstract:	Ett problem som kan uppkomma, när en hemsida för en ungdomstidning utvecklas, är att hemsidan förlorar kopplingen till tidningen. Tillslut är det bara namnet på webbplatsen som avslöjar att hemsida och tidning hör ihop. För att försöka ta fram ett svar på hur man kan sammanföra en ungdomstidning med sin hemsida och skapa helhet, kommer detta projekt gå på djupet hur detta kan göras med hjälp av musik- och ungdomstidningen OKEJ. Projektet och undersökningarna ledde fram till slutsatsen att det är viktigt att ta tillvara på den befintliga kompetens som tidningen redan har, i OKEJ:s fall kunskapen att skriva artiklar som engagerar målgruppen och OKEJ:s kontakter med kändisar. Projektet ledde fram till fyra råd, vilka kan användas som en startpunkt för andra som ska föra en ungdomstidning ut på internet. • Utnyttja befintlig kompetens, som i OKEJ:s fall är att skriva artiklar som engagerar målgruppen och sitt bredda kontaktnät med människor i musikindustrin. • Istället för att utveckla t.ex. en videotjänst från grunden, utnyttja redan befintliga system och tjänster. Ett exempel på detta är YouTube, som användarna redan är bekanta med. • Bygg hemsidan runt tidningens kärna. I OKEJ:s fall är det kändisar, musik och kommunikationen mellan läsare. • Nyttja möjligheten att kunna ha en direktkontakt med läsarna, vilket är en av internets stora fördelar och styrkor jämfört mot tidningen. I denna rapport kommer det att ges en djupgående insyn i forskningen, konceptdesigner, resultat och slutsats.

stenberg_svensson.pdf (2.065Mb)

A Critical Reading of the Scholarly and ICT Industry’s Construction o...
Bibri, Simon Elias : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2012)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) refers to a vision of the information society where everyday human environments will be permeated by intelligent technology: people will be surrounded and accompanied by intelligent interfaces supported by computing and wireless networking technology that is ubiquitous, embedded in virtually all kinds of everyday objects. These computationally augmented, smart environments - composed of a myriad of invisible, distributed, networked, connected, interactive, and always-on computing devices - are aware of human context; sensitive to people's needs; adaptive to, and anticipatory of, their behavior; personalized to their requirements; and responsive to their emotion and presence, thereby intelligently supporting their daily and social lives by providing limitless services in a seamless and unobtrusive way. The vision of AmI assumes a paradigmatic shift in both computing and society – far-reaching societal implications. The challenge lies in developing AmI forms that acclimatise to societal change and the diversity of European socio-cultural life. Indeed, one of the most fundamental views in the prevailing AmI vision is a radical and technology-driven change to social environments and people’s lives. Research emphasizes the fundamental role the ISTAG, a group of scholars and ICT industry experts, plays in the reproduction of AmI as a positive force for societal change. Therefore, the objective of this study is to carry out a critical reading of the scholarly and ICT industry’s construction of AmI in relation to societal transformation. To achieve this objective, a discourse analytical approach was employed to examine the selected empirical material: three reports published by the ISTAG in 2001, 2003 and 2006. The approach consists of seven stages: (1) surface elements and organizational structure, (2) discursive constructions, (3) social actors, (4) language and rhetoric, (5) framing as power and operation, (6) positioning and legitimation, and (7) ideological viewpoints. The AmI discourse (vision) construction tends to be deterministic, i.e. it assumes that the ‘amization’ of society will lead to radical social transformations, and has an unsophisticated account of how social change occurs. It is also inclined to be rhetorical - it promises revolutionary social changes without really having a holistic strategy for achieving the goal. Moreover, topicalization is accomplished in correspondence with the preferred mental models and social representations. Furthermore, the discourse is exclusionary: many issues (pertaining to trust, social sustainability, human-centred design, healthcare, and community life) are left out with the intention to advance the idea of the eventual societal acceptance of AmI. It additionally plays a role in wider processes of legitimation of social agents and structures on the basis of normative and political reasons, and it offers different subject positions: between ISTAG and Europe and European citizens, and between citizens and ICT designers and producers. Likewise, it plays a major role in constructing the image of social actors – ISTAG, ICT industry, research community and EU – as well as in defining their relations and identities in ways that reallocate roles and reflect new attributes. A great highlight and space is awarded to represent these actors, and their views dominate the reports. They are the prime definer of the represented reality. As to ideological reproduction, the discourse perpetuates power relations, serves the interest of certain stakeholders in European society, and reconstructs ideological claims. This discursive endeavor provides a valuable reference for social researchers or scientists in related research communities. Until now, there has been, to the best of one’s knowledge, no comprehensive discursive research of AmI in relation to societal transformation, more specifically the potential of AmI in modernizing the European social model and in shaping Europe’s future.

BibriSEDP12.pdf (541.4Kb)

A Discourse Analysis of the Media Representation of Social Media for ...
Bardici, Minavere Vera : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2012)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

Recent years were marked by a major transformation in human and social communication, owing to the advances in ICT and thus social media technologies. Social media have introduced new communication practices, provided newfound interaction patterns, created new forms of expressions, stimulated a wide civic participation, and so forth. They are rapidly evolving and their significance is increasing while their role is changing in social and political processes. Moreover, they are increasingly becoming an instrumental approach to, and power for, social change due to their potential in bringing new dynamics to its underlying processes such as public mobilization. Indeed, more recently, they played an important role in what has come to be known as the Arab Spring. Particularly, in the recent Egyptian revolt, social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, have been transformed into effective means to fuel revolt and bring about political transformation. This marked a victory for social media and corroborates that they are an enduring resource for the successful mobilization of bottom-up, grassroots movements and leaderless collective actions. This, in turn, has stimulated discussions about their impact on political change, giving rise to a new discourse, what might be identified as ‘social media for social change’. This discourse is gaining an increased attention in the media and the academia: many journalists and authors talk and write about it. Particularly, research and publications by journalists emphasize the fundamental role the online media play in the reproduction of the role of social media in the Egyptian revolution and political change. The aim of this study is to establish, by means of a discourse analysis, how and with what purpose in mind, the online media report on – represent – the relationship between social media and the Egyptian uprising and political transformation, a social relationship that seems to be overstated and constructed in various ways by different journalists. This critical reading reveals what is undervalued, overvalued and excluded, as well as the intersection between the media discourse, subjects and ideology. To achieve this aim, the discourse analysis approach was used to examine the set of selected media texts. The media representation is deterministic as to the role of social media in the Egyptian revolution and political transformation, i.e. it exaggeratedly depicts the power of social media by describing the Egyptian revolution as a Facebook revolution. It also tends to be rhetorical and exclusionary. The event of the revolution and the reality of political change in Egypt are far more complicated than how it is reconstructed by most journalists. Further, it plays a role in constructing a positive image of different corporate players, namely Facebook, Twitter and media companies, as well as in constituting their identities. A great highlight is given to represent these actors. In addition, the media representation does ideological work. It sustains and serves corporate power as well as advances ideological claims. This discursive research enhances the current understanding of the phenomenon of social media in relation to revolution and political change, although the findings may not be generalizable.

BardiciVMDP12.pdf (351.9Kb)

A holistic approach to designing for a specific aesthetic experience ...
Ehrndal, Marie : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2012)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:	This thesis aims to point out characteristics of game aesthetics, and accounts for one possible approach to design for a specific aesthetic experience. The theoretical framework that has been treated includes game design, interaction design, industrial design and aesthetics. Aesthetics have been understood from a classical perspective, where some properties are treated as being inherent of a game as an artifact, and others as sensual, perceptive and cognitive concepts that make out parts of the aesthetic experience of playing a game. The research has been conducted through theoretical studies as well as research through design, where the design process as well as the end artifact itself have made out research tools. It suggests a design process focused on the end material, and emphasizes hi-fi sketching. The process accounted for in this thesis has been focused on the multi-mediated end result, by framing the design or possibility space with themes, experiential goals and a parallelly constructed theoretical base of game aesthetics. The design approach has also been based on ideas of letting objects and concepts within the real world inspire game behaviour by association, within the frame of a chosen theme. Based on game qualities like simplification and coherence, my approach aims at designing aesthetically holistic games. Other aesthetic qualities that are treated in relation to the design process include representation, embodiment, presence, immersion, flow, fun, pliability and pace. The approach is argued to have strengths in the sense that it does not conform to pre-established genres, is more player oriented, can create coherent experiences and aid innovation. The backdraws are that it is not effective and does not guarantee that the outcome is neither pleasurable nor playable.
Swedish abstract:	This thesis aims to point out characteristics of game aesthetics, and accounts for one possible approach to design for a specific aesthetic experience. The theoretical framework that has been treated includes game design, interaction design, industrial design and aesthetics. Aesthetics have been understood from a classical perspective, where some properties are treated as being inherent of a game as an artifact, and others as sensual, perceptive and cognitive concepts that make out parts of the aesthetic experience of playing a game. The research has been conducted through theoretical studies as well as research through design, where the design process as well as the end artifact itself have made out research tools. It suggests a design process focused on the end material, and emphasizes hi-fi sketching. The process accounted for in this thesis has been focused on the multi-mediated end result, by framing the design or possibility space with themes, experiential goals and a parallelly constructed theoretical base of game aesthetics. The design approach has also been based on ideas of letting objects and concepts within the real world inspire game behaviour by association, within the frame of a chosen theme. Based on game qualities like simplification and coherence, my approach aims at designing aesthetically holistic games. Other aesthetic qualities that are treated in relation to the design process include representation, embodiment, presence, immersion, flow, fun, pliability and pace. The approach is argued to have strengths in the sense that it does not conform to pre-established genres, is more player oriented, can create coherent experiences and aid innovation. The backdraws are that it is not effective and does not guarantee that the outcome is neither pleasurable nor playable.

master_thesis_id_ehrndal_marie.pdf (2.670Mb)

Beyond the Cultural Horizon- A study on Transnationalism, Cultural Ci...
Lopez Pedersen, Maria Erliza : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2012)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

In many cases, the need to survive has been the reason for many individuals to leave their country and to start anew in a foreign land. Indeed, migration has played its role as one of the solutions to struggle against poverty among many migrants. Nevertheless, migration can also be an excellent way to improve or develop one’s linguistic, professional and cultural competencies. And one way of doing this is to be part of the au pair cultural exchange program. The interest to be an au pair as well as the interest to have an au pair has been the subject of colorful debates in Denmark, and pushing politicians to make an action due to reports of abuse by many host families. Where the au pair program will end up is still a question hanging up in the air. This study is about the journey of many young and educated Filipino migrants who have decided to embark on the au pair expedition. The theme is anchored on deprofessionalization and deskilling. Transnationalism, civic culture and cultural citizenship, and media are the central theories of the study. Feedback from the participants indicates that there is a need to shift the discussion and focus. It is also important that the au pairs’ knowledge and skills are recognized. The study recommends further research on how participatory communication can be utilized or applied to engage all the stakeholders: au pairs, host family, social organizations, sending and receiving countries, and mass media, in finding long term solutions. The ‘cultural exchange or cheap labor’ argument must not be ignored; however, debates should not be limited to this alone. Most of the au pairs are educated. Recognition of such qualifications must be done to create a new arena for discussions. Oftentimes, many au pairs themselves do not see this side of their background as something valuable. From a communication for development perspective, behaviour change- the au pairs should not see themselves as domestic workers, but as educated migrants, and this must be promoted and advocated, so that au pairs and members of the host society can acknowledge this unknown aspect of these unsung migrants. They are education migrants; it is only right and logical that the au pairs are supported to enhance their qualifications. Deprofessionalization and deskilling must be avoided.

LopezPedersenMEThesis.pdf (1.099Mb)

Bilder av framtiden
Jönsson, Torbjörn : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2006)	bachelor STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:	The technological development during the recent past, i.e. information technology (IT), has presented new possibilities for distance learning. IT has, so far, mostly been used to enhance the communication between teachers and students. With e-learning or technology-based learning the emphasis is rather on content in education instead of how education is performed. There is a need of improvements for more efficient e-learning within distance learning. The objectives of this study were to develop synchronous collaborative software application, based on five factors for more efficient e-learning, that researcher in cognition science Maria Larsson presented 2001. The software application was evaluated through a case study in a distance course of Organisation communication. The task was how to identify the culture in a specific organisation. The application was tested on two occasions with three participants at each occasion. The first test was as low-tech concept test and the second test was made with the use of the digital prototype. On both occasions the participants reflections was recorded during the test sessions and after the tests interviews were performed with each participant. My conclusions following the evaluation of the observations and the responses to the interviews are that it is possible to develop an application based on the five factors (learning styles, narrative form, collaboration, interaction and feedback) for more efficient e-learning. However, more research and testing are needed.
Swedish abstract:	De senaste årens tekniska utveckling på datorområdet har även gett återverkningar inom distansutbildningen. Den nya Informationstekniken (IT) har används mest för att utveckla kommunikationen mellan lärare och studenter på distansutbildningarna. I utgångsläget har tekniken alltså används för att underlätta arbetet inom kurserna, inte för att utveckla metoder för hur undervisning ska bedrivas. Elektroniskt lärande (e-learning) kan förklaras som ”Teknikbaserat lärande” (technology-based learning) och innefattar all form av undervisning som sker med hjälp av elektroniska media. Betoningen på lärande visar att tyngdpunkten förflyttats från hur utbildningen genomförs, till ett innehåll i utbildningen. Det finns behov av förbättringar för effektivare e-lärande inom distansutbildning. Samarbete och gemensam arbetsuppgift anses vara till hjälp vid lärande. I hög grad sker utbildning och dialog inom distansundervisning och e-lärande asynkront. Detta innebär att deltagarna inte samtidigt har direktkommunikation med varandra utan kommunikationen sker i med e-post. För att kunna möta möjligheterna till effektivare e-lärande borde en möjlighet till synkront kollaborativt arbete över gemensam arbetsyta vara av intresse. Syftet med projektet var att utveckla en synkron kollaborativ bild- och textbaserad applikation för e-lärande. Baserad på forskaren inom kognitionsvetenskap Maria Larssons rapport om fem faktorer för effektivare e-lärande samt utvärdera dessa genom en prototyp. Applikationen var tänkt att användas vid ett moment i ämnet "Organisationskommunikation" inom en distanskurs, där studenterna skulle bilda sig en uppfattning om en organisations kultur. Applikationen testades vid två tillfällen, först som ett koncepttest och därefter som en digitalt konstruerad prototyp. Tre personer deltog vid varje testtillfälle. Koncepttestet genomfördes med observation av deltagarna med dokumenterad ljudinspelning av dialogen samt efterföljande intervjufrågor. Prototyptestet utfördes med observation och med ”think-aloud” metoden samt intervjufrågor. Här skedde dokumentationen med hjälp av ljudinspelning samt skärmdumpar. Utvärderingen utgjordes av observation och intervjuer med testdeltagarna och visade att applikationen till stor del baserades på Maria Larssons fem faktorer. Min slutsats är att det varit möjligt att utveckla en applikation som till stor del baseras på de fem faktorerna och att konceptet samt prototypen kan vidareutvecklas. Värdet av ett par enstaka test kan vara begränsat då det enbart gällt sex personer. Utökade testsessioner med flera olika grupper hade kunnat ge mer tillförlitliga resultat. Jag finner att det är angeläget med fortsatt forskning angående inlärning via Internet.

Bilder av framtiden.pdf (797.6Kb)

Børn under et nyt paradigme? - Børnekultur som begreb og virklige greb
Krøyer, Louise Lidang : Malmö högskola/Kultur och samhälle (2010)	2-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:

In recent decades there has been a terrific development in the attitude towards children, childhood and children’s culture. Children are no longer seen as inarticulate objects that the grown-ups by right and duty lead out of their childhood and into their adulthood in the overall framework of pedagogic and developmental methods. Children of today are seen as social actors and as independent players in their own childhood as well as in the society and culture they are a part of. In the Danish field of cultural communication “culture for, with and by children” has become an all-pervading slogan. But without communicators and scholars in the field having come to an agreement about what the slogan – and especially the concept of “culture by children” – actually covers. Using an aesthetic approach to children’s own culture Beth Juncker, children’s culture scholar, makes what she calls a “tidying-up” of the concept in her doctoral thesis, Om Processen (About the Process), and she constructs a model for what she sees as the two current paradigms of children’s culture: The normal paradigm asks the overall question: “What does art and culture do for and with children?” The new paradigm asks: “What do children themselves do with culture?” Basing my thesis on Juncker’s paradigmatic thinking and her new aesthetic approach to children’s culture it is my purpose to investigate how theory and reality go together in children’s culture today. Using the project of “Børnekulturpilot” (a children’s culture project in Copenhagen) as an example of the reality of children’s culture and interviews with the participating children I examine and discuss Juncker’s theories and paradigms and their practicability. I wish to reach a concept of practicability of “culture by children.” With this thesis I hope to participate in the debate about whether “culture by children” serves a purpose in a social and educational structure that sees innovation and creativity as indispensable resources on the future global labour market, but at the same time still focuses on children’s formal knowledge and measurable capabilities instead of on their creative abilities.

mastertilnet.pdf (579.5Kb)

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Att finnas men inte synas. En studie av renskötande samers relation t...
Johnsson, Malin; Lirakis, Elena : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2004)	STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:	I detta arbete undersöks vilken funktion medierna har i den samiska vardagen samt att försöka urskilja ett mönster i hur medierna samverkar med den samiska identiteten. Den gestaltande delen är ett memoryspel som visar de renskötande samernas levnadsmiljöer. Detta för att ge en bild av några moment i vardagen vilka influerar identitetsskapandet.

Best of Both Worlds: A Platform for Hybrids of Computer Games and Boa...
Rören, Jonas : Malmö högskola/Konst, kultur, kommunikation, K3 (2007)	1-year master STUDENT ESSAY

English abstract:	The children libraries in Sweden are losing visitors. Everything around us is changing but the children’s library stays the same. Our aim with this master’s thesis was to make kids from nine to twelve to visit the library more often and hopefully develop a higher interest of borrowing and reading books. Our goal is to make the library more attractive and appealing for children. We have seen a common interest of electronics and high-tech stuff among children during our former projects and field studies and we decided to use this to make the environment for children more appealing. We will do this thru two prototypes that we have developed. We call them The Storytellingtent and The Bookbrowser.
Swedish abstract:	Sveriges barnbibliotek tappar besökare. Allt runt omkring oss förändras, men barnbiblioteken ser likadana ut. Vi vill i detta examensarbete ändra hur barn och ungdomar ser på biblioteket, så att de känner sig mer hemma i biblioteksmiljön och som följd av detta möjligtvis ökar barnens läslust. I stort vill vi göra biblioteket mer attraktivt och tilltalande för barnen. Vi har i tidigare projekt uppmärksammat att många barn och unga har intresse för teknik och detta valde vi att dra nytta av i Bokdjungeln. Vi har med hjälp av barn i åldern nio till tolv utvecklat två prototyper som vi kallar Bokbläddraren och Sagoslottet.