"X är ingen flygplats, du behöver inte avisera din avgång!" : En kvalitativ studie om den svenska exit-kulturen på X och digital disconnection kopplat till politiska ställningstaganden

Since the invention of the Internet our world has become increasingly digitalized. As an effect of that, social media and the way we consume it has had a large impact on the everyday life of many people. Digital disconnection has become a tool in changing one's behaviour regarding the use of digital devices and technology. Through a netnographic approach combined with a qualitative data analysis, this thesis examines how Swedish people digitally disconnect from the social media platform X. It looks for the reasoning behind it and particularly if a political motive could spur the decision to disconnect. The theoretical perspective derived from Jenkins participatory culture, Portwood-Stacers conspicuous non-consumption as well as a variation of McQuails uses & gratification. Results were obtained that explained how the Swedish exit-culture on X expresses itself and how political motives could be a reason for digital disconnection. Furthermore, the results of this study points towards tendencies of a politically polarized community on X that in some aspects reflects Swedish society, with opinions split on opposite sides of the political scale. On one hand, individuals that affiliate themselves with a right wing world view tend to thrive in the current environment on X. On the other hand, users that tend to lean towards left wing politics are more inclined to leave the platform; either by closing their accounts or venturing towards a different social media platform such as BlueSky. It is also noteworthy that digita ldisconnection can, as proved before, stem from health related reasons.