Friluftsliv i ett förändrat kommunikationslandskap : En kvalitativ undersökning kring hur ny mediekonsumtion påverkar Umeå kommuns kommunikation

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to examine which communication channels and communication strategies Umeå municipality could use for information concerning outdoor recreation. To achieve this aim the following theories and views have been applied: social communication, communication strategies, two-way symmetrical communication, social media and uses and gratifications. The study was conducted through four focus group interviews and one informant interview. The focus groups consisted of four groups of outdoor enthusiasts in Umeå municipality: outdoor interested students, organized outdoor enthusiasts, active families and active seniors. The informant were the person that is centrally positioned within the business. The material was collected during the 6th and 19th of February 2014. The results and analysis of the study showed that outdoor enthusiasts have acquired new communication habits and that the municipality partially requires changes in their communication strategy. The new media habits has meant that outdoor enthusiasts would like to receive personalized information rather than information that is targeted towards the crowd. Thus, there is a clash between how the municipality communicates and outdoor interested’s approach to dialogue. Outdoor enthusiasts also want to communicate with each other to a greater extent than with the municipality. The result also showed a lack of communication channels that enable outdoor enthusiasts to communicate with each other. Finally, there were also a digital divide that shows that active seniors are distinguished because they have not embraced the new media consumption in the same extent as other groups. This has the consequence that Umeå municipality must use a mixture of communication channels to adapt to the public.