”HAR JAG EN BOK I ÖRONEN KAN JAG GÅ HUR LÅNGT SOM HELST”. En kvalitativ studie om användares relation till ljudböcker jämfört med tryckta böcker

Sammanfattning: Har jag en bok i öronen kan jag gå hur långt som helst, or If I have a book in my ears, I can walk as far as I want, is a qualitative study that explores users' relationship with streamed audiobooks, compared to books in printed format. The choice of topic is driven by the fact that digitalization has transformed literature as a medium and the book industry as an enterprise. This makes it relevant and necessary to examine how, or if, the analog predecessor will continue to exist with the increased popularity of streamed audiobooks. The purpose of the study is to investigate users' motivations for listening to audiobooks through various audiobook apps, in comparison to their motivations for reading books in physical format. To address the study's purpose, three research questions are posed: What is appreciated by users in their consumption of streaming-based audiobook services?; What features do users appreciate when consuming printed books?; Why do users choose to listen to audiobooks instead of reading a physical book?. The background of the study discusses the book as a medium and brings up previous research in entertainment literature. Previous research is categorized into four main topics: audio- and e-books; streaming; convergence within streaming; ownership and power. Two frameworks based on the uses and gratifications theory are used as a theoretical background. To analyze the material in the context of books as entertainment, and in the case of audiobooks entertainment through the smartphone, both Sundar and Limperos' (2013) proposal on uses and gratifications theory focusing on 'affordances', with an extension including Schrock (2015), and Bartsch and Viehoff's (2010) uses and gratification framework, in combination of Rubin’s typology (1981; Griffins, 2014), linked to entertainment media are employed. The chosen method for the thesis is qualitative and consists of individual interviews with a total of nine respondents. The selection criteria for respondents were that they should be frequent users of audiobook services, but also have a relationship with physical books. They should also be residents of Sweden, with age and gender being less important. However, it should be noted that most respondents were women in their upper middle age. The study found that users of audiobook services rarely listen without engaging in another activity simultaneously. The reason for multitasking was related to underlying feelings of boredom, escapism, and convenience. Users also considered audiobook services a way to use their time efficiently, as there was a perception of not having time to sit down and read. Physical books, on the other hand, were found to carry greater value among the respondents, often associated with nostalgic feelings. There was also a consensus that readers were more active and had more control while reading physical books compared to listening to audiobooks. Physical books were also perceived to leave a stronger impression afterward. The consumption of physical books had, for most respondents, decreased or completely diminished after the introduction of audiobooks – a commonality among users was that they listened to significantly more books than they read. For most respondents, listening to audiobooks was part of their daily routines. The subscription model was predominantly perceived positively and was linked to the quantity of audiobooks consumed. It turned out that audiobook services were most useful for heavy consumers than for those with a sparser book consumption.