| 1. |
- Broms, Lovisa, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Accessibility, Agency, and Trust: A Study About Equestrians' (Online) Learning Repertoires
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2624-9367. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Todays' online media landscape facilitates communication on how sports practitioners can develop in their sport. Hence, sports and educational institutions need to recognize the increased role of the individual as “a facilitator of knowledge” through information and communications technology (ICT). For sport organizations and educational institutions to effectively reach out with knowledge and research, they need to know how individuals assess, value, and trust information sources. This article aims to increase the knowledge and understanding of how the traditional culture in equestrianism meets the contemporary media user. It is based on a study that uses a mixed methods design, containing a questionnaire with 1,655 respondents and 28 focus group interviews with Swedish and Norwegian equestrians, to investigate how equestrians create their own repertoires of horse-knowledge online and what sources of knowledge they trust and prioritize. The results show that accessibility, agency, and trust are key terms when mapping equestrians' preferred knowledge platforms, and that equestrians are generally not satisfied with the availability and the quality of horse-related online content. Horse experience is the most important positional factor influencing online repertoires in the equestrian community. Riders with less experience turn to Social Network Sites (SNS) to a higher extent than riders with more experience. Further, equestrians find the ability to assess information as an important yet challenging task. This article shows that the term (online) learning repertoires is appropriate when discussing the relationship (or clash) between the traditional culture in equestrian sports and the contemporary media user. On the one hand, many equestrians clearly express that they would rather stay away from obtaining information about horses and riding on ICTs. On the other hand, the data, together with previous research, indicates that many equestrians see ICTs as important platforms for discussing and exchanging information about horses and riding.
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| 2. |
- Broms, Lovisa, 1987-
(författare)
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Facebook is our playground now : A study of the use of social media in equestrian sports
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to analyse how equestrians in different age groups use social media to attain information about equestrian sports. There has beena significant increase in daily use of social mediaandFacebook is the most widely used media. Yet, in the age group 9–16 Instagram has become more important (Eek-Karlsson, 2015, Davidsson2016; Statens medieråd2017).Internet is extra important for equestrians, as traditional media fail to cover equestrian sports(Dashper 2017).In order to understand how information and knowledge about sports are collected and given value through socialmedia, it’s crucial to understand how different agents use media and which rules and values form their usage. According to Bruce young women today understand and use the power of social media: they tell and create their own stories (Bruce, 2015). Two research questions will guide the study: How do riders explain theirmedia habits and what information is given value and why; Are there differences, and in that case which differences can be found, in the usage of social media and the giving of value related to age, gender and riding experience?A qualitative research method is used. The source material consistsof twelve focus group interviews in Sweden and Norwaydivided in to two age groups 16–25 and 26 and above. The analysis is inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts field and doxa (Bourdieu 1984). In this project, it is argued that the horse world on Internet can be seen as (at least) one field, in which different agents interact in relation to specific rules, their habitus and capital.This study shows that different age groupsuse social media in different ways. Young and old riders stress that the other groupcan’t behave or use social media platformsin a constructive way.In addition, the results also show (in line with earlier research) that Instagram and Snapchat are increasinglypopular among adolescents. However, Facebook is still the most used social media platformamong middle aged equestrians, “Facebook is their playground now!”This leads towards the conclusion that there are clear structures of how equestrians indifferent age groups position themselves on the field of social media. Knowledge about these patterns will be valuable in order to understand how different age group collect and share information about equestrian sport.Bourdieu, P (1984) Distinction: a social critique of the judgement of taste.[New ed.],Routledge.Bruce,T(2015)New Rules for New Times: Sportswomen and Media Representation in the Third Wave, Sex Roles vol 74: 2016, pp. 361-376.Davidsson, P. (2016), Svenskarna och sociala medier 2016. En del av undersökningen Svenskarna och internet 2016, Internetstiftelsen i Sverige.Dashper, K (2017). Human-Animal Relationships in Equestrian Sport and Leisure,Routledge.Eek-Karlsson, L (2015). Ungas samspel i sociala medier: att balansera mellan ansvar ochpositionering. Linnéuniversitetet.Statens medieråd2017, Ungar och medier.
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| 3. |
- Broms, Lovisa, 1987-
(författare)
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Fans, Fellows or Followers : A Study on How Sport Federations Shape Social Media Affordances
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journalism and Media. - : MDPI. - 2673-5172. ; 4:2, s. 688-709
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increased in-depth knowledge on how sport federations shape their social media affordances to build relationships with their audiences will develop the understanding and ongoing discussion on the effects of social media in organized sports. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate in what way sports federations shape their social media affordances to create an increased understanding of how they interact with their audiences through social media. Three sports federations, the Swedish Basketball Federation, the Swedish Skateboard Association, and the Swedish Equestrian Federation, were investigated through semi-structured interviews as well as digital ethnography. The analytical focus lies on in what way the organizations shape social media affordances as well as in what way they imagine social media uses and users. This study shows that the federations’ imagination of who their users are, what they would like to see and how these users act and react defines their affordances. Further, the results reveal that the federations have differing approaches to in what way they imagine their users (as fans, fellows or followers) as well as what their incentives are for using social media. To learn how ongoing mediations mold long-term changes for sport federations, it is of importance to look beyond mediatization and learn more about their current structure and operations, their history, and traditions, as well as their view of their users.
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| 4. |
- Broms, Lovisa, 1987-
(författare)
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Negotiating authenticity : A study of young equestrians and social media
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Social Networking Sites (SNS) as for example Facebook (FB) has become a great part of everyday life of contemporary teens (Boyd, 2014). Research show that frequent FB users compare themselves to the perfect personas constructed on SNS, which leads to a belief that other users are more successful than themselves even in their offline-lives (Vogel et al, 2014). Media studies show that there is a strong negative correlation between media coverage and a high proportion of female athletes. A likely explanation for the low coverage of equestrian sport is evidently that a majority of the riders are girls and women. Yet, new media habits in the era of digitalization, challenge our previous experiences of who and what is covered on SNS in relation to equestrian sports (Dashper, 2017). In order to understand how online communication affects different groups in society, it is important to assemble information about online culture(s). Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze young riders’ use of SNS in relation to their everyday life around the horse, so as to identify cyber culture(s) connected to equestrian sport.To understand young riders' relations to SNS, Erving Goffman's theory impression management and the concepts Face-to-Face and Persona-to-Persona will be used (Goffman, 1959). The concept of authenticity and Judith Butlers theory regarding gender performativity (Butler, 1988) is used as a lens to analyze cultures emerging among riders on SNS. The empirical data has been collected through six focus group interviews at two Swedish equestrian centers. The population consist of 25 students (15 to 18 years). This study shows that the image of the perfect equestrian life on SNS is governed by profiles using impression management, which ultimately leads to stress and anxiety among adolescents. Ideal images of super boys and girls in the cyber stable are created on SNS. The findings also show that the adolescents’ relationship to SNS is complex. They admire- and compare themselves to riders who seem to be perfect athletes, at the same time they long to see a more authentic image of everyday life on SNS. It seems like the young equestrians are negotiating the concept of authenticity, constantly searching for content which break cultural barriers and challenge the idea of the perfect rider. Furthermore, they are negotiating gender constructions presented on SNS and question the ideal images of super girls and boys.Boyd, D (2014) It’s complicated : the social lives of networked teens. Yale University PressButler, J (1988) Performance Acts and Gender Construction: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal 40(4) 519-531Dashper, K (2017) Human-Animal Relationships in Equestrian Sport and Leisure. Abingdon, Oxon: RoutledgeGoffman, E (1959: 2014) Jaget och maskerna. Malmö: StudentlitteraturVogel, EA, Rose, JP, Roberts, LR, Eckles, K (2014) Social Comparison, Social Media, and Self-Esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture (3)4 206–222
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| 5. |
- Broms, Lovisa, 1987-
(författare)
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Safe Zones On Internet : The Use Of Social Media As Knowledge Platforms Among Equestrians
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- 1. Aim and BackgroundIn recent years, information about horse-keeping and the welfare of horses have been debated in social media. Online platforms are proven to be great resources for horse-enthusiasts. Above all, Internet is possibly extra important for this group, as traditional media does not cover the horse world to any significant extent (Dashper, 2017). Different ideas of researchers, elite and leisure riders meet, clash and are discussed online. The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of how and in what way social media prosumers act and interact in relation to finding information about sports via social media. Equestrian sports will be used as a case as it is one of the most popular sports in Sweden, especially among girls and women. Despite engaging about 500 000 participants, research on equestrian sports is scarce in comparison to many others sports. 2. Theoretical Background and Literature ReviewSocial Information Seeking (SIS) describes the process through which users locate and share information in participatory online forums, such as Social Networking Sites (SNS) and question-answer websites (Shah, 2017). When it comes to information-seeking, online sources have a large impact on specifically youth (Boyd & Ellison, 2010; Borah & Xiao, 2018). Research has shown that SNS can be a convenient space for health promoting practitioners and organizations to disseminate health related information and knowledge (Borah & Xiao, 2018). There is however lack of research about the possible effects of Social Media as an interactive knowledge base within the sport sector.For most people it is important to take part in the social setting through new media. The social value constructed in human interaction online through for example “likes” is crucial. The culture in social media is, however, characterized by a great vulnerability in the fear of being exposed, criticized or simply not getting the confirmation that is sought (Eek-Karlsson, 2015). Social media affects many parts of our lives and therefore it is crucial for the modern sports movement to adjust and develop in pace with digitalization. Knowledge about sport consumers’ patterns online and specifically what information and knowledge is seen as trustworthy within different sport contexts will be valuable for stakeholders within the sport sector.The results in this paper are analyzed using Goffman’s theories on social interaction. Yet Goffman’s ideas about regions where people meet either face-to-face or persona-to-persona (Goffman, 2014), will be problematized as social media offers an arena on which face-to-face and persona-to-persona are possibly intertwined. For today’s prosumer it is impossible to certify whether another profile on a social media platform presents a real person in an authentic way, a persona or even a profile generated by an algorithm (Eriksson et al, 2019). In what way and how do social media prosumers act and interact in order to find information and knowledge about sports via social media?3. Research Design and MethodologyTwenty-four focus group interviews (2-6 participants in each group) in Sweden and Norway constitute the source material. Questions regarding how equestrians seek information about equestrian sports and horse-keeping; and how this information is granted value have been posed. Participants in the focus groups are riders at riding schools and riders owning their own horse. They are divided in to two groups in relation to age: 15–25 and 26 and above. The empirical data has been analyzed through thematic analysis.4. ResultsIn this study the equestrians give contradictory answers. They underline that another equestrian or a veterinary whom they meet face to face is more trustworthy than random online information. Yet they report that they use various media platforms to collect information about horses. Online platforms used differ between the age groups. The respondents argue that less experienced riders and riders of other ages than themselves use social media uncritically as sources of information. They also underline the right to voice and visibility through social media and emphasize that there should be no restrictions on what is published. In contrast to this, and as a paradox, they suggest that online codes of conduct and new platforms – safe zones – ought to be established in which information has to be controlled. 5. Conclusion, Contribution and ImplicationThe results clearly show that there is a need for sport stakeholders to adapt to the online patterns in everyday life. Creating safe zones online could be a way for sport organizations to safeguard social space online and at the same time keep being relevant. The result show that accessible online platforms where research, trustworthy information and knowledge is shared is needed within the equestrian sport. This because it can be difficult to determine whether the shared information is an empty shell created by someone using impression management, an algorithm related to commercial interests or if it is trustworthy information. Borah, P & Xiao, X (2018) The Importance of ‘Likes’: The Interplay of Message Framing, Source, and Social Endorsement on Credibility Perceptions of Health Information on Facebook, Journal of Health Communication, 23:4, 399-411.Boyd, D & Ellison (2010). Social network sites: Definition, history and scholarship. Engineering Management Review, 38:3, 16–31.Dashper, K (2017). Human-Animal Relationships in Equestrian Sport and Leisure, Routledge.Eek Karlsson, L. (2015). Ungas samspel i sociala medier – Att balansera mellan ansvar och positionering,Växjö: Linnaeus University Press. Eriksson, Maria, Fleischer, Rasmus, Johansson, Anna, Snickars, Pelle & Vonderau, Patrick (2019). Spotify teardown: inside the black box of streaming music. Cambridge, Massachussets: MIT Press.Goffman, E (1959, 2014). Jaget och maskerna: En studie i vardagslivets dramatik. Malmö: Studentlitteratur.Shah, C (2017). Social Information Seeking: Leveraging the Wisdom of the Crowd. New Brunswick, NJ, Springer.
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| 6. |
- Broms, Lovisa, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Stable Cultures in Cyberspace
- 2018
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In recent years, questions about horse-keeping and the welfare of horses have been debated in social media. Voices of researchers, elite and leisure riders are heard and different ideas about horse-keeping meet, clash and are discussed. The purpose of this study is to analyze stable cultures in cyberspace in Sweden and Norway. Horse riders’ communication in social media in relation to horse-keeping will be focused. The results will increase the knowledge of how thoughts, ideas, scientific research and proven experience about horses are shared and discussed in social media for different age groups and in different countries. The project will also lead to suggestions about how communication tools can be improved and developed. For equestrian stakeholders, it is important to understand what knowledge is granted value (and why) of riders and horse owners, so that digital communication tools can be improved. For the welfare of horses, it is important to bridge the gap between research and practice.
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| 7. |
- Broms, Lovisa, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Stable Cultures in Cyberspace : a study about equestrians’ use of social media as knowledge platforms
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum. - : Malmö universitet. - 2000-088X. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- New media habits in the era of digitalization challenge previous understandings of who and what receives media coverage. Research shows that practitioners in self-organized lifestyle sports consistently use social media to attain and exchange information and knowledge about their sport. Is this also the case in organized sport? The Internet has become a great resource for horse-enthusiasts and the online horse world can be described as an extension of the physical horse world. Equestrian sport is particularly interesting to analyze due to the fact that there is an animal involved. Still, there is little knowledge of how horse enthusiasts use social media in relation to their interest in equestrian sports. The aim of this article is therefore to chart and analyze how equestrians use social media, how they communicate horse-related content on social media, and how social media can be seen as a source for knowledge exchange. Our investigation focuses on how equestrians use social media to acquire information about horses, and how this usage can be explained in connection to age and experience. A mixed methods design is used and data is collected from 28 focus group interviews with equestrians in Sweden and Norway and a survey with 1,628 respondents. Our study indicates that practitioners of self-organized sports are not unique in using social network sites (SNS) to exchange and attain knowledge about their sport; equestrians in general are shown to be frequent users of SNS such as Facebook and Instagram. Although our results show a few significant differences in SNS use in relation to age; the riders in the different age groups have surprisingly similar views of their SNS use in relation to attaining information about the horse. ‘Stable cultures’ and the organized structure of equestrian sports appear to create boundaries determining where a ‘good equestrian’ should seek information about horse-keeping. However, the organized structure and traditional nature of this sport do not stop equestrians from turning to SNS.
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| 8. |
- Broms, Lovisa, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Super equestrians : the construction of identity/ies and impression management among young equestrians in upper secondary school settings on social media
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sport, Education and Society. - : Routledge. - 1357-3322 .- 1470-1243. ; 27:4, s. 462-474
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to analyze and increase the understanding of how young equestrians, in a sport school context, perceive, construct, negotiate and manage identities on social media. This article presents how a specific group of young athletes (equestrians) use social network sites (SNS), such as Facebook and Instagram, in relation to their everyday lives as students attending upper secondary schools with an equestrian sports profile. Social media is increasingly important for young people's perceptions, constructions, and managing of identities. Using a multifaceted theoretical framework, including Erving Goffman's dramaturgical perspective, we will explore how young equestrians perceive the content on SNS and analyze how they act and create content in relation to existing norms and cultures. Equestrianism is one of the largest sports in Sweden and several upper secondary schools in Sweden offer programs with an equestrian profile. Studies on sport schools evince a focus on elite sport and competition, which affects norms and ideologies at these schools. Through focus group interviews with 25 students, we show that the situation is complex and contradictory. The results indicate that young riders have identified an online stable culture where high performance equestrianism is the norm. Our study shows that the educational environment is not the only factor affecting the students, but that social media is also a part of the young athletes' constructions of identity. The image of the employable 'super equestrian' who is attractive, wears the 'right clothes', is successful, and acts 'professionally' is the most desirable representation online. The young equestrians are critical of what is communicated on SNS in relation to horses and riding, and they are uncertain of how to position themselves in relation to this communication.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Radmann, Aage, et al.
(författare)
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Social Media Influencers in Equestrian Sport
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2624-9367. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study analyzes and explains the impact of social media influencers on stable cultures in Sweden and Norway, contributing to the understanding of the complex relationship between equestrian sports and social media-a relationship that is important for the welfare of horses. Since equestrianism is one of the most popular sports in Sweden and Norway, influencers' social media communication greatly impacts followers' perception of the human-animal relationship. Despite the popularity of equestrian sports, studies thereof are rare, and research combining equestrian sports and social media is almost non-existent, making this study important and relevant. The analysis focuses on the six biggest equestrian influencers in Sweden and Norway and their social media accounts. Goffman's (1967) micro-sociological perspectives, alongside previous research on social media, are used to discuss knowledge exchange, co-creation of authenticity and intimacy and sponsorship and advertisement. The influencers mainly focus their communication on horse-related issues, and their (and their followers) love of horses create the intimacy needed as a base for other messages (perceived knowledge and advertisement). The intimacy and authenticity are strengthened in the interaction between followers and influencers, and the latter receive positive feedback for their way of handling their horses' lives. The expressive order of stable culture(s) is seldom questioned and the acceptance of this order is likely to make the commercial endorsements less visible and more convincing.
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