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@channel: Hey community! A qualitative case study about the construction of a digital community in a co-working space

Alfonsi, Ida LU and Nörgård, Hanna LU (2022) SKDK11 20221
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract
This study aims to examine employees' perception at co-working space Hetch regarding their digital communication efforts on the computer-mediated communication platform Slack to foster a sense of community amongst the members. This topic is relevant to the field of strategic communication because understanding how to communicate on a computer-mediated platform is essential to further building a sense of community within an organization. There is a gap in
the research regarding the use of professional digital communication tools such as Slack and the difference between digital versus physical community, which the study explores. Our research questions were How do the employees at Hetch perceive their way of communicating digitally to... (More)
This study aims to examine employees' perception at co-working space Hetch regarding their digital communication efforts on the computer-mediated communication platform Slack to foster a sense of community amongst the members. This topic is relevant to the field of strategic communication because understanding how to communicate on a computer-mediated platform is essential to further building a sense of community within an organization. There is a gap in
the research regarding the use of professional digital communication tools such as Slack and the difference between digital versus physical community, which the study explores. Our research questions were How do the employees at Hetch perceive their way of communicating digitally to create a sense of community? and How do the employees at Hetch perceive the relationship between their digital communication and face-to-face communication when fostering a sense of community?. To answer these research questions, a qualitative case study was conducted using qualitative content analysis and interviews. The study takes the
ontological standpoint of social constructivism as well as the epistemological belief of hermeneutics. This research indicates a discrepancy in the perception of the employee's communication based on the factors of creating a sense of community. However, the employees are aware of their limitations. The employees were conflicted regarding the relationship between digital communities and if they replace physical communities entirely. The relationship is complex due to them being communicatively dependent on one another. These findings are significant because they give insights into the real-life experiences of communicating on digital platforms to foster a sense of community. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Denna studie syftar till att undersöka de anställdas uppfattning på co-working space:et Hetch angående deras kommunikationsinsatser på den digitala kommunikationsplattformen Slack, för att främja en känsla av gemenskap bland sina hyresgäster. Det här ämnet är relevant för forskningsfältet inom strategisk kommunikation eftersom det är viktigt att förstå hur man kommunicerar på en digital plattform för att ytterligare bygga en känsla av gemenskap inom en 0rganisation. Det finns en lucka i forskningen när det gäller användningen av digitala kommunikationsverktyg som Slack, samt skillnaden i en digital kontra en fysisk gemenskap, som denna studien utforskar. Våra forskningsfrågor är därför "Hur uppfattar de anställda på Hetch sin kommunikation... (More)
Denna studie syftar till att undersöka de anställdas uppfattning på co-working space:et Hetch angående deras kommunikationsinsatser på den digitala kommunikationsplattformen Slack, för att främja en känsla av gemenskap bland sina hyresgäster. Det här ämnet är relevant för forskningsfältet inom strategisk kommunikation eftersom det är viktigt att förstå hur man kommunicerar på en digital plattform för att ytterligare bygga en känsla av gemenskap inom en 0rganisation. Det finns en lucka i forskningen när det gäller användningen av digitala kommunikationsverktyg som Slack, samt skillnaden i en digital kontra en fysisk gemenskap, som denna studien utforskar. Våra forskningsfrågor är därför "Hur uppfattar de anställda på Hetch sin kommunikation digitalt som medium för att skapa en känsla av gemenskap?" och "Hur upplever de anställda på Hetch att relationen mellan digital kommunikation och kommunikation ansikte mot ansikte fungerar för att främja en känsla av gemenskap?". För att besvara dessa forskningsfrågor genomfördes en kvalitativ fallstudie med såväl kvalitativ innehållsanalys som intervjuer. Studien tar en ontologisk ståndpunkt i socialkonstruktivismen såväl som en epistemologisk hermeneutisk ansats. Resultaten av denna forskning indikerar en diskrepans i uppfattningen av den anställdes kommunikation baserat på faktorerna för att skapa en känsla av gemenskap. De anställda är dock medvetna om sina begränsningar. De anställda var motstridiga angående relationen mellan den digitala gemenskapen och den fysiska i dess förmåga att helt ersätta varandra. Relationen är komplex på grund av att de är kommunikativt beroende av varandra. Dessa fynd är betydelsefulla eftersom de ger insikter i de verkliga upplevelserna av att kommunicera på digitala plattformar för att främja en känsla av gemenskap. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Alfonsi, Ida LU and Nörgård, Hanna LU
supervisor
organization
course
SKDK11 20221
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Sense of community, Slack, co-working space, Sense of Community Theory, digital communication, face-to-face communication, Social Information Processing Theory, strategic communication
language
English
id
9082135
date added to LUP
2022-06-03 09:13:39
date last changed
2022-06-03 09:13:39
@misc{9082135,
  abstract     = {{This study aims to examine employees' perception at co-working space Hetch regarding their digital communication efforts on the computer-mediated communication platform Slack to foster a sense of community amongst the members. This topic is relevant to the field of strategic communication because understanding how to communicate on a computer-mediated platform is essential to further building a sense of community within an organization. There is a gap in 
the research regarding the use of professional digital communication tools such as Slack and the difference between digital versus physical community, which the study explores. Our research questions were How do the employees at Hetch perceive their way of communicating digitally to create a sense of community? and How do the employees at Hetch perceive the relationship between their digital communication and face-to-face communication when fostering a sense of community?. To answer these research questions, a qualitative case study was conducted using qualitative content analysis and interviews. The study takes the 
ontological standpoint of social constructivism as well as the epistemological belief of hermeneutics. This research indicates a discrepancy in the perception of the employee's communication based on the factors of creating a sense of community. However, the employees are aware of their limitations. The employees were conflicted regarding the relationship between digital communities and if they replace physical communities entirely. The relationship is complex due to them being communicatively dependent on one another. These findings are significant because they give insights into the real-life experiences of communicating on digital platforms to foster a sense of community.}},
  author       = {{Alfonsi, Ida and Nörgård, Hanna}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{@channel: Hey community! A qualitative case study about the construction of a digital community in a co-working space}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}