Are you kidding me asshole? : A discourse analysis of the Swedish press articles regarding the TV series Skam during the winter of 2016-2017

The purpose of the study is to examine how the image of the TV series Skam was constructed in the Swedish press during the winter of 2016-2017, with a focus on how Skam’s importance for individuals and society was expressed in the texts. To analyze how the discourse of Skam was constructed in the Swedish press, a discourse theoretical perspective based on Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s discourse theory was used, along with various theories of the media, the audience's production of meaning and pleasure, realism and psychology of religion. Different discursive tools from Laclau and Mouffe’s conceptual world are put into practice during the analysis part. Metaphors are also used as a method to understand and analyze the material. In the analysis of the media discourse of Skam, four main themes emerged in the analyzed texts; Realism, identification, moralism and Norway and the Norwegian language. The discourse of realism raised the question whether Skam is realistic or not, and whether it is possible to understand teenagers by watching the series. The discourse of identification included questions like; whether participants could identify with the characters and situations in Skam or not, often from a nostalgic point of view. The discourse of moralism focused much on the different characters in the series and how they acted, or were portrayed. Topics such as feminism and homosexuality were discussed, along with other things. The discourse of Norway and the Norwegian language was a lot about the Swedish relations with Norway and the Norwegian language spoken in Skam. The discourse was very homogenous and notably it concerned the phenomena that Swedes have begun to speak Norwegian, and Swedish people creates a closeness and understanding of Norway and the Norwegians through the tv-series. Skam was also constructed as something sacred that brings people together, in discussions as well as in cultural identity. A great majority of the texts discussed however adults should watch the tv-series or not.