A new language in a new age? A case study of an authority's textual communication in a world of social media

Sammanfattning: In  the  society  of  today  social  media  occupies  an  ever  increasingly  part  in  the  life  of  the  modern  man.  Social  media  has  become  a  common  tool  in  communicating  thoughts,  ideas  and  information  for  companies,  authorities  and  private  individu--‐  als  alike.  This papers purpose was that through a case study examine what form an authority’s textual communication through social media (in the form of Facebook and Twitter), web page and traditional ads takes and also to examine possible differences. The case study used a present time perspective and was conducted on Försvarsmakten. A modified manual text analysis was conducted on chosen objects from the four previously mentioned media. The manual text analysis was taken from a given template and was then modified through a frame of reference that included theory about text, rhetoric, genre, text type and advertising. The analyses show that there are both similarities and differences in the com--‐ munication through the different types of media. The purpose of the ads is to dif--‐ ferentiate the image of Försvarsmakten, to inform about Försvarsmakten and also to recruit new soldiers to Försvarsmakten. The purpose of the communica--‐ tion through the web page and the social media is not as distinct, and is shaped by topical events. Försvarsmakten uses a leadership tonality throughout its communication but tends to get more personal and informal through Facebook and Twitter. The pursued argumentative method is always closed and Forsvars--‐ makten does not seem to have any interest in discussing its activities through Facebook or Twitter in the analysed communication. The communication through social media arises in certain cases from a private persons question to Försvarsmakten. Although to claim that there’s a shift in the balance of power in the communication through social media because of that is not fair. On what terms information is spread and discussed is still mainly Försvarsmaktens. Altough it is fair to claim that the Facebook page has become a new meeting place for those who take an interest in Försvarsmakten and their activities. Keywords: textual communication, social media, case study, authority, manual text.