En personlig soptunna tillgänglig för hela världen - En netnografisk studie av interaktion kring självskadebeteende på sociala medier

Title: A personal waste bin available for the whole world – a nethnographic studie of interaction regardning self-injury behaviour in social media. Supervisor: Annika Capélan-Köhler Assessor: Katarina Hollertz The aim of this study was to examine how adolescents interact around self-injury behaviour on the Internet. The empirical material is based on selected blogs and online communities, where self injury behaviour is a common theme. The purpose was to look into whether the interaction has positive or negative effects on the person’s and the group’s identity. We also wanted to see if the Internet provides help for self-injurers, or if it is a tool for maintaining and encouraging the behaviour. The theoretical framework consisted of a socio-psychological approach with interactionism as our main analytical concept. The study showed that adolescents with self-injury behaviour found the interaction helpful. It provided a sense of belonging and supported the individual to create an identity, set apart from daily face to face interaction where the behaviour was considered deviant and wrong. The adolescents expressed the community online to be a help in the struggle of becoming injury-free. This study therefore suggests that blogs and communities on the Internet can provide help and support for adolescents with self-injury behaviour