my thesis and defense

Want to read my thesis? Get a copy! Contact Kristin Sandberg at the Department of media and communication, phone: +47 22 85 04 02, k.l.sandberg at media.uio.no

/EDIT/ I don't think there are any printed copies left, but I'd be happy to send you a pdf-version of my thesis if you're interested. Let me know.

My trial lecture is next Tuesday (18th of December) from 5.15 pm - 6pm, aud. 2, Sophus Bugges hus at Blindern (at campus). Assigned title: "Changes and consistencies in subjectivity in an age of new media"

The defense will take place on the 19th of December at 9.15 am, aud. 2, Sophus Bugges hus at Blindern.

Committee: Professor Charles Ess (Drury University) and Professor Nancy Baym (University of Kansas). Third member of the committee is Associate Professor Tanja Storsul (University of Oslo).

It'll be fun, I'm sure!

summary of my phd-thesis

Being in mediated spaces: An enquiry into personal media practices

The main purpose of this thesis has been to analyse mediated practices among young people: what significance do use of personal media have for the individual user? The concept of personal media is understood as denoting tools for interpersonal communication and personal content creation. Although the history of personal media did not commence with digital network technologies, the development since the mid 1990s indicates that new patterns of being in mediated spaces have materialised. The consequences are potentially considerable, and it is therefore vital to understand personal media practices from a user-perspective. Moreover, the recent development affects previous notions of communication media. A crucial ambition has consequently been to conceptualise the notion of personal media and the distinctions between personal communication and mass communication. This study is primarily based on qualitative interviews with 20 users, aged between 15 and 19 years old. Participants all have a multifaceted online presence and, accordingly, a particular knowledge on the area of study. Throughout the research project I also observed their ever-changing presence online.

The thesis opens with a synthesizing discussion, in which I present previous research on personal media; introduce eight specific research questions; consider the methodological approaches pursued; and theoretically deliberate on aspects concerning communication, subjectivity and privacy in networked cultures. The opening discussion is followed by five articles, which comprise the main part of the thesis.

In “Conceptualising personal media”, I explain the main characteristics of personal media. I introduce a two-dimensional model, locating personal media and mass media differently according to a horizontal interaction axis, and a vertical institutional/professional axis.

In “Mediated subjects: how personal media affect performances of selves”, I examine perceptions of self-performances. Mediated communication is characterised by other qualities than offline communication, and users regularly disclose private information. As a consequence boundaries between what is considered public and private are changing, yet the constructed mediated self cannot be described as unfiltered.

The main purpose of “Becoming more like friends: a qualitative study of personal media and social life”, is to examine the qualities of mediated interaction and the integration of mediated and immediate social spheres. Mediated communication differs from face-to-face communication, not by being less meaningful, but by enabling other forms of disclosing practices. I argue that the ability to integrate different social spaces has become a characteristic element of social competence in network societies.

“’I made this!’ Being through creative digital practices” was written in order to analyse the creative aspects of being in mediated spaces. Sharing fragments of everyday stories appears to be important for media practices to be personally and socially meaningful. I argue that perceptions of creative strategies are connected to originality and the ability to create aesthetically pleasing expressions. Creative practices are nonetheless ordinary and essential parts of life, and being creative in mediated spaces is a way of being social and receiving recognition from peers.

In the final article “Converging forms of communication? Interpersonal and mass mediated expressions in digital environments”, I examine the grey-areas, which cannot be described as purely interpersonally mediated or mass mediated. The concept of communication is discussed by examining aspects of interaction, participation and social integration. These aspects are applied as variables in an analysis of conversations in a personal weblog, Underskog and a reader-discussion in the online edition of the Norwegian tabloid Dagbladet.

being in mediated spaces

My now submitted PhD-thesis is entitled Being in mediated spaces: An enquiry into personal media practices. Yet, curb your enthusiasm, no need to get all excited yet. After all, I now have to wait for almost six months before I know whether the thesis-committee will even approve my work. I feel kind of empty and anxious since I can no longer re-write, re-work and improve my thesis.

I loved being a PhD-student.

networks

This week I aim to finish a part of my thesis concerning subjectivity in network societies, I need to have a first draft ready for a newspaper comment about ephemeral connections (working-title, who knows where I'll end up), and I need to start thinking about my presentation for a conference next week, working title "social competence in network societies". No wonder I kept waking up tonight, frantically thinking about networks.

Employer Branding strategies

I just talked to a guy from Universum Communication, an employer branding company offering help for companies who are searching for attractive employees. I declined to give a talk on a seminar in May about new approaches for recruiting people. I'm learning to say no to extra work assignments, that's good. But we had a brief and interesting conversation: there's very little unemployment in Norway, and the competition for the brightest people is tough. Hence, try advertising in Facebook? or any social network service, even MySpace? You have LinkedIn of course, but the point is that having a comprehensive online presence does not at all imply less chances of a future career. Quite the contrary.

Given the beneficial conditions for well-qualified people in Norway, I should have pretty good chances of finding interesting work after my PhD?