Living your life through technology : A qualitative study about technology usage during a global pandemic

Sammanfattning: Social isolation is one of the main challenges for distance students. In the situation of covid- 19, on-campus university students in Sweden are faced with the same challenge, since they have been required to study elsewhere as Universities are closed for students. We asked in what way students use technology during covid-19, and which role technology has for university students. The answers to these questions are important to be able to design and implement better technology for communication and collaboration across distances. To study this, we conducted qualitative interviews and a questionnaire with university students normally studying at campus. Our findings show that university students use a variety of technologies during covid-19 to socialize, work and study, and entertain themselves. We contribute with information about which online services, functions, and hardware are seen as most important. Finally, we provide information about technology's role for university students during covid-19, such as something used to maintain your social life, studies, for entertainment and to combat boredom.