Mycket väsen om ingenting : Hur datorn och internet undgår att formas till medborgarens tekniker

Sammanfattning: In what way/ways – if at all – are the computer and the internet tools for individuals’ roles as citizens in the Swedish working class?What is new information and communication technology’s significance – if any – for individuals’ identities as citizens within Swedish working class culture? The empirical results are discouraging for advocates who have put their trust in new information and communication technology as a potential civic tool. For instance, the study reveals that the computer and the internet can only be considered as marginal phenomena in the everyday lives of the Swedish working class, for these tools are barely used, and further, are perceived as difficult to operate. The study also reveals that new information and communication technology is not viewed as a contributing factor to the working class’ outlooks toward and insights into society. Instead it is concluded that watching TV and listening to the radio – to a far greater extent than the use of the computer and the internet – are activities related to the Swedish working class’ identities as citizens.This study is a critical interrogation into the widespread claims about the computer's and the internet's potential to empower democracy. Through interviews with adult family members of fifteen Swedish working class households, the study explores the following two questions: