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Revisiting the past, being in the present, preparing for the future: Making sense of a digital-free holiday camp for adults
No full textIn this chapter, we explore how participants experience disconnection in practice at a digital-free summer camp for adults. Underleir is an annual week-long camp originating from discussions on the Norwegian social network Underskog and draws inspiration both from Silicon Valley disconnectionist ideology and Scandinavian traditions of friluftsliv [outdoor recreation]. When the camp was f irst organised in 2014, digital detoxing was not a well-known concept in the Norwegian context, and such camps are still rare in Scandinavia. The study is based on fieldwork, interviews, and online material. In the chapter, we discuss how camp experiences relate to the participants’ life course along three temporal dimensions: the past (nostalgia, play), the present (freedom from status games, relaxation), and the future (survivalism, utopianism). The study contributes to the disconnection literature by moving beyond the media-centred issue of how users relate to their gadgets. Instead, the chapter explores how being digital-free is made meaningful within a concrete and unusual holiday setting and relates to the societal and personal values of those attending.The authors acknowledge funding from the Norwegian Research Council (grant no. 287563) for the project “Intrusive media, ambivalent users and digital detox (DIGITOX)” (2019–2024) and the Norwegian Media Authority (Reference 17/909-2/JEA) for the project “When digital media invades life” (2018–2019). </p
“I feel like a peasant among goddesses”: Digital disconnection as affect and process among Norwegian youth
No full textIn this chapter, I propose that the concept of affective dissonance is theoretically helpful to account for young people’s sentiments of digital disconnection. This proposal is empirically substantiated through an analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 17 Norwegian youths, based on the following question: How do young people react to invasive connected media? The findings illustrate that affective reactions to digital impulses appear to be an integrated part of young people’s daily management of digital connectivity. Although these experiences may lead to negative experiences, they do not necessarily lead to disconnection practices. From young people’s perspectives, digital disconnection not only involves being physically separated from connectivity but also encapsulates attitudinal shifts and mental distancing. Based on these findings, this chapter posits that disconnection is also an affective state that does not necessarily transform into action or practice, but is as much about the potentiality to act. This chapter thus recognises digital disconnection as a process based on youths’ perspectives, acknowledging its affective facet, and contributing to a broader conceptualisation of disconnectivity beyond acts and practices
Stay focused and grow a Forest: The design and paradoxes of gamified digital disconnection
No full textIn this chapter, I explore the multifaceted gamified digital disconnection within the technology-driven context. Forest, as a productivity app pioneering a gamified approach to foster focused work, embodies a paradox of using apps infused with game design elements to aid users in their quest for digital disconnection. Employing the app walkthrough method, drawing on disconnection and gamification research, in this chapter I critically examine Forest’s game design elements, and the paradoxical role disconnection plays in a hyperconnected context. Three primary game design elements – game feedback, social connectivity, and real-life contribution – are identified as facilitators of disconnective practices in the app. These game design elements encourage users not only to optimise their own disconnective experiences but to compete with peers and contribute to nature. The indicated work may, at times, seem to contradict the app’s intended goals, making distractions, fostering social connections, and potentially greenwashing rather than blocking distractions, promoting individual disconnection, and greening the environment.The author is funded by the Department of Media and Communication at University of Oslo, and supported by the project “Intrusive media, ambivalent users and digital detox (DIGITOX)” (2019–2024) funded by the Research Council of Norway (grant no. 287563).</p
Post-digital consumption: The controversy surrounding the mobile phone box as a means of disconnection
No full textThis chapter expands the understanding of contemporary disconnective technologies by providing a case study of a mundane, low-tech artefact that has gained popularity in both private and public spaces: the mobile phone box. A mobile phone box (or a phone basket, as it is often called) is a place to put away smartphones for shorter or longer durations; boxes range from sophisticated products to simple homemade solutions. In this chapter, we identify the mobile phone box as a post-digital consumer object, representing the disenchantment with hyper-connected life that is visible in studies of digital disconnection. To scrutinise the diverse meanings of the artefact – and the broader discussion about the role of connective technologies in our lives – we investigate the debate following a Swedish trade association’s decision to award the mobile phone box the title “Christmas Gift of the Year” in 2019. Our analysis indicates that the box, and the solutions it embodies – putting away one’s phone – is highly contested, yet also an indication that the digital backlash and disconnection sentiments have become part of mainstream culture. The chapter contributes insights into hitherto under-researched guises of the post-digital and the kind of discursive battles that this condition may trigger. The authors acknowledge funding from the Norwegian Research Council (grant number 287563) for the project “Intrusive media, ambivalent users and digital detox (DIGITOX)” (2019-24). </p
Innovations in resilience strategies during the Covid-19 pandemic
No full textThis chapter addresses innovation initiatives in Norwegian news media in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. Based on a mapping survey among 24 top and middle Norwegian news media managers, the analysis reveals three strategies for coping and recovering from a crisis: bouncing back, bouncing forward, and bouncing beyond. Several news media bounced back from Covid-19 in a swift recovery from the crisis while maintaining and improving existing activities through incremental innovations. Other news media bounced forward by absorbing the crisis and exploring innovation possibilities in new service offerings, distribution channels, and markets. A few news media bounced beyond, suggesting that news media adapted to the crisis by digitalising the newsroom and reorganising towards more service-based mindsets, community engagement, and value co-creation
Crisis-driven newsroom innovation
No full textDespite the extensive body of knowledge in innovation studies, there is a lack of literature that studies crisis-driven innovation in newsrooms. Whether the crises contribute to innovation or rather restrict it remains an under-researched topic. In this chapter, I study the factors that facilitate rapid innovation processes in news media outlets, using the news media business during the Covid-19 pandemic as a case study. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews with journalists, developers, data journalists, editors, and product managers at four Norwegian news outlets, I identify key factors that facilitate quick, crisis-driven innovations in newsrooms. I argue that there are four important factors that drive innovation in newsrooms during crisis: the need for information in the population; initiative among the news staff; existing technological expertise in the newsrooms; and collaboration among editorial developers and journalists
Voices of Young Immigrants : Inclusion in Education, Work and Society
No full textThe report “Voices of Young Immigrants – Inclusion in Education, Work, and Society” is a handbook for social change. It offers crucial insights into the challenges faced by young immigrants in Iceland. The report presents the findings of the project, which was part of Iceland’s presidency of the Nordic Council in 2023. It not only presents key findings from the project, but also serves as a practical handbook for using Design-Based Research (DBR) to address complex social challenges. The report highlights the voices and experiences of young immigrants, while proposing innovative, real-world solutions for improving their inclusion in education, employment, and society. In addition to its findings, the report provides a detailed guide for applying DBR methodology—a flexible, iterative process that brings stakeholders together to co-create sustainable solutions. By offering both research insights and a practical toolkit, this report is set to inspire policymakers, educators, and social organizations across the Nordic region and beyond to foster greater inclusion and collaboration in their communities
Activated Limestone : A Sustainable New Remediation Method to Fight Eutrophication
No full textThis study investigated a new material – activated limestone – that was added to nutrient rich Baltic Sea bottom sediment with the ambition to stop nutrient release and thereby reduce eutrophication. Our results show that the activated limestone was very efficient in stopping leakage of phosphorus from eutrophic sediments collected at a fish farm on Åland from which fish faeces have contributed to the nutrient load and accumulation in its surrounding waters. The phosphate release from the sediment was completely stopped by addition of 600 g/m2 activated limestone. In addition, the risk of potential side effects, such as greenhouse gas emissions, was measured and found to be low after addition of the activated limestone
Prevention of suicide and suicide attempts in the Nordic countries
No full textIn 2022, a total of 3,574 individuals died by suicide in the Nordic countries. This report provides a situation analysis of suicide deaths and suicide attempts in the Nordic countries for the period of 2000-2023. Almost all Nordic countries have a national plan for suicide prevention. However, long-term funding for achieving identified goals is essential to ensure that measures will be implemented in clinical and daily practice.Since 2015, only modest improvements have been observed in the suicide rate in Nordic countries
SiEUGreen White Paper with best practices
No full textThis report explores the potential of Urban Agriculture (UA) to enhance food security, improve resource efficiency, and promote smart, resilient, and circular cities. The discussion is framed within the scope of the Horizon 2020 project ‘Sino-European Innovative Green and Smart Cities’ (SiEUGreen) which explored different pathways to turn waste into resources for growing food in cities through the combination of different technologies. These technologies were tested in five showcases: Campus Ås, in Ås, Norway; World Gardens and Brabrand Fællesgartneriet community gardens in Aarhus, Denmark; Turunçlu greenhouse in Atakya, Turkey; Sanyuan Farm, in Beijing, and Futiancangjun residential area in Changsha, China. The insights and knowledge gained with these showcases were the basis to discuss the barriers and drivers of UA in the transition to more sustainable and resilient circular cities, across five aspects (1) environmental, (2) technological, (3) economic, (4) social and cultural and (5) regulatory and institutional issues. The results suggest that city food provision and UA systems can be designed considering circular economy regenerative cycles, but it is important to promote local research that can highlight policy solutions to address context-related barriers and limitations. Among the main lessons learned across the different aspects, we highlight: The need for more evidence-based research, clear monitoring tools and evaluation/assessment of the different UA typologies and their impact on the environment, society and economy; The implementation of innovative technological developments that support and promote UA for reduce; reuse, recycle/recover resources require more experimentation, large-scale tests and validation both concerning their efficiency, positive environmental impacts, as well as economic viability; The need for high investments, difficulties accessing financial support, underdeveloped business case for circular resource models, and limited recognition of the positive and indirect economic, environmental benefits of UA are among the main barriers that limit the uptake of agriculture in cities; Despite the significant role UA can play in advancing a circular economy (e.g., by supporting sustainable local food systems, promoting community resilience and reducing waste), behaviour and cultural barriers were found to have a deep impact when fostering a closed-loop approach to UA, especially concerning overcoming prejudice against waste as a resource, Local governance and public policy play a central role in framing and supporting UA (e.g., incentives, funding, regulatory frameworks) as a pathway that enables close loops in cities