Tankar om övervakning : En digital etnografisk studie om anonymitets- och integritetsfrågor på Flashback Forum

This essay is a digital empirical observation study which aims to examine current power dynamics considering online freedom and privacy at the Swedish social online forum Flashback Forum. The study centers on how users on Flashback forum interpret and express their views on anonymity, privacy and digital freedom and how their views stand in correlation to Manuel Castells’ network theory as well as Michel Foucault’s Panopticon. The scientific background of this essay is rooted in an information scientific approach and examines how digital technologies have profoundly changed how we as a society interpret privacy and information freedom. The empirical data which this study relies on has been gathered from the website Flashback Forum, a forum renowned for its controversial reputation and its focus on anonymity and freedom of expression. The digital era has broken down boundaries and created contradictory social relations which compromise individuals’ sense of identity. It is our intention to examine these contradictory relations and see how they interact with the average Flashback user’s sense of self. Our results have confirmed what similar studies have already proven, namely, that technology has indeed changed how we approach privacy and information freedom. However, what sets this study apart is that we further reconceptualise what integrity and identity means today from an information scientific point of view and take a closer look at underlying power structures that influence our worldview. The constant flows of information redefine social practices and have given cause to re-examine legal guidelines to better protect individuals and their digital and information rights