Hannah Fahd & Havva Göcmenoglu

Who engage Swedish citizens in social happenings?
- A study of Twitter’s influence on the spread of political communication.

Abstract

Instead of having a one-way communication in front of the television – it is possible for a single user to invite to engagement and increase interaction with the outside world. The printed word is no longer the primary source for information in the Swedish society. The development of social media has resulted in that almost every Swedish digital news portal is connected towards Twitter to increase the possibilities for interaction.

Interactivity on social media has become a prior communication portal for its users, and contributes in many cases to involvement in current social events. People unite and gain power for change through new, more innovative technologies. New doors have opened for expressions such as discussions, freedom of speech and dissatisfaction.

The aim of this bachelor is to examine and provide an understanding of to which extent the platform Twitter becomes a tool for Swedish media profiles to influence Swedish citizens in three contemporary social dilemmas.
We have therefore studied a number of Swedish social events by using visualization tools and produce graphs in a functional and aesthetic way.

The survey shows that there is not only one factor governing the spread of social events, or a certain type of media profile. News feeds and space in the media is the biggest factor contributing to the general circulation. But the results also show that a certain type of media profile has a greater influence than others depending on professionalism within a specific area and popularity - which often makes them more reliable.