“Jag kan ju välja att inte scrolla men jag skulle hellre scrolla än att inte scrolla.” En kvalitativ studie om ungdomars scrollbeteende på sociala medier och de behov som förväntas uppfyllas

Abstract

In today’s digital landscape, social media usage has become a routine part of adolescents’ daily lives. One central activity within this media consumption is scrolling, a passive, often automatic engagement with endless content feeds, particularly on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. This thesis investigates how upper secondary school students experience their scrolling habits. Whether these are active choices or passive behaviors, what needs or motivations underlie them, and how platform technologies influence their patterns of use. Grounded in media and communication theory, particularly Uses and Gratifications Theory and its later developments, this thesis applies a qualitative approach by conducting four focus group interviews with Swedish students aged 16-17. A thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring patterns in the gathered data. The findings of this thesis reveal a clear ambivalence in youth media practices, while some social media use is intentional and driven by needs such as entertainment, inspiration, or social connection, much of the scrolling appears habitual and unconscious. Participants describe a loss of self-regulation, often continuing to scroll despite finding the content uninteresting or meaningless. This challenges Uses and Gratifications classical view of the user as a goal-oriented and rational actor. A key contribution of this study is its emphasis on the role of technological design. Features like infinite scroll, personalized feeds, and content autoplay were seen to undermine conscious control while simultaneously offering comfort in the form of low-effort entertainment. Interestingly, participants did not universally perceive this technological influence as negative. In some cases, the passive nature of scrolling was described as a welcomed pause from everyday demands, indicating a need to nuance assumptions about media control and autonomy. This thesis highlights how digital platforms both shape and are shaped by youth behavior. While theories like Uses and Gratifications Theory provide valuable frameworks for understanding media motivations, this study suggests that platform affordances and social contexts can create needs, not just satisfy them. Thus, scrolling should be understood not only as a media habit but as a culturally and technologically embedded practice with both empowering and limiting implications for young users.