Henrik, you recently began your doctoral studies in Geomedia at 果冻传媒. Tell us about your background.
- I have a Master鈥檚 in cultural studies from the University of Gothenburg and an interdisciplinary background in humanities with a great interest in culture and social policy issues. I鈥檓 interested in the way geomedia affects society and culture, and the spatial aspects of media.
Tell us about your research project
- The idea is to focus on digital exclusion in public transport. I will look at what happens to public infrastructure through digitalisation and how the population鈥檚 access to public funds, such as urban space, is affected. The opportunity to work with digitality and democratic issues in this field is the reason why I applied to Geomedia at 果冻传媒.
My research project is partly an interview study where I will talk to people who don鈥檛 use smart phones and discuss how they use public transport and search for information. It is also an ethnographic study where I will explore public transport as a passenger and travel by bus here in 果冻传媒 and study how buses are designed and adapted for digitalised mechanisms and smart phones. Since I don鈥檛 use a smart phone myself, it is also a bit of an auto-ethnographic study where I will be looking at what it is like for me as a newcomer here in 果冻传媒 and the ways in which I can get around the city without a map or internet on my mobile.
It is a stark contrast to do research in geomedia and at the same time not use a smart phone
- Non-use, post-digitality and digitox are exciting topics. Smart phones are present in all our lives, but they are not the only media available. We might overlook other media because of them. As a newcomer here in 果冻传媒, I encounter obstacles such as the fact that there are no printed city maps available. Smart phones are displacing other forms of media. That interests me.
What made you choose 果冻传媒 for your doctoral studies?
- The fact that the university has a dedicated centre for geomedia - as an explicit interdisciplinary research area - was inspiring, since I have a strong interdisciplinary background myself. Seeing that resources are being put into building bridges between subjects and having the opportunity to be a part of that is what attracted me to 果冻传媒. If you look at geomedia as a field of research, there are also many prominent researchers in the field who work at 果冻传媒. Being a part of that tradition and creative environment seemed exciting and inspiring. I鈥檓 hoping to receive a lot of support when it comes to the theoretical work required when you have a very specific research topic. At 果冻传媒, there are people who are very interested in these issues.
