Online Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors
Poulsen, Kriss Finnbjørn Dam ; Lundgaard, Peter Bach ; Leegaard, Jacob Højholt
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-08-03
Pages
95
Abstract
This thesis explores how four people living in Denmark experienced the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020, focusing on everyday practices of online communication. It applies a sequential mixed-methods design: an initial questionnaire indicating widespread use of audio and video calls and shared online activities, followed by a solicited diary study and subsequent interviews with the same four informants. The data were analyzed thematically using Étienne Wenger’s Communities of Practice and Don Ihde’s postphenomenological perspective on human–technology relations to understand how people adapted to new ways of working, studying, and socializing. The analysis shows that social distancing affected some individuals’ mental well-being and that participants developed new routines and shared repertoires within their communities. Online communication served as a workable alternative that partly met needs for social interaction and togetherness, yet it did not fully replace in-person contact. The findings highlight both the potential and the limitations of digital communication tools under extraordinary societal conditions.
Denne specialeundersøgelse udforsker, hvordan fire personer bosat i Danmark oplevede nedlukningen under COVID-19 i foråret 2020, med fokus på hverdagslige praksisser for online kommunikation. Projektet anvender en sekventiel mixed methods-tilgang: først et spørgeskema, der indikerede udbredt brug af audio- og videoopkald samt fælles online aktiviteter, dernæst en soliciteret dagbogsundersøgelse fulgt op af interviews med de samme fire informanter. Data blev tematisk analyseret med udgangspunkt i Étienne Wengers Communities of Practice og Don Ihdes postfenomenologiske perspektiv på menneske-teknologi-relationer for at belyse, hvordan mennesker tilpassede sig nye måder at arbejde, studere og socialisere på. Analysen peger på, at social distance påvirkede nogle personers mentale trivsel, og at deltagerne måtte udvikle nye rutiner og fælles repertoire i deres fællesskaber. Online kommunikation fungerede som et brugbart alternativ, der til en vis grad tilfredsstillede behovet for social kontakt og samhørighed, men den kunne ikke fuldt ud erstatte fysisk tilstedeværelse. Fundene understreger både potentialer og begrænsninger ved digitale kommunikationsværktøjer under ekstraordinære samfundsmæssige forhold.
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