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Edda Jansdottir Arneberg

Doctoral Research Fellow - Department of Media and Communication

Email e.j.arneberg@media.uio.no

Available hours by appointment

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Visiting address Gaustadalléen 21 0349 Oslo

Postal address Postboks 1093 Blindern 0317 Oslo

Other affiliations Faculty of Humanities (Student)

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Academic interests

My research examines how adolescents construct experiences of belonging and identity within mediated realities, with a particular focus on their engagement with the YouTube platform. It investigates how interactions with the platform provide a context for identity formation and how participation in online cultures shapes adolescents’ sense of self.

Background

I have a professional background as a singer, vocal coach, and music educator. I hold two academic degrees in music: one in classical music performance and another in musicology, the latter from the Department of Humanities at the University of Oslo. In addition to my work in music education, I have taught various subjects, including social science and philosophy/religion.

I also hold a Master’s in education research from the University of Oslo. My Master’s thesis explored how young adults engage with computer games in processes of identity construction and how they negotiate social roles within online gaming environments. The findings from this research are published in the peer-reviewed article linked below.

Positions held

PhD-Doctoral Research fellow

Partners

Global Natives

Tags: YouTube, Gaming, Youthculture, Symbolic boundaries, Social boundaries, Social identity, Belonging, Digital-access

Arneberg, Edda J. (2026). Reframing digital inequality: investigating symbolic boundaries in media use among Norwegian adolescents. Journal of Youth Studies. ISSN 1367-6261. p. 19–19. doi: 10.1080/13676261.2026.2686102. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This study explores how Norwegian adolescents assign symbolic value to media preferences and practices, and how distinctions and cultural hierarchies contribute to inequality by reinforcing group boundaries. Findings show that adolescents categorized as cultural upper middle and elite classes draw symbolic boundaries within their own social group (in-group) by portraying an unnamed out-group as lazy, unintelligent and less productive. These boundaries are expressed through distinctions that frame certain media as ‘intelligent’, ‘stupefying’, or ‘easily attainable’ and media practices as either ‘productive’ or ‘healthy’ and therefore preferable. Aligned with neoliberal ideals of self-optimization and productivity, the study argues that managing media use and restricting screen time have become markers of class belonging among the cultural upper middle and elite classes. Drawing on interviews and fieldwork in both physical and digital spaces, the study provides insight into digital inequalities in a Norwegian context and how adolescents aged 16–19 use and experience media. It highlights the importance of moving beyond access, skills and user habits in digital inequality studies and considers how media preferences and practices hold symbolic value, which can reveal hidden divides between social groups.
Arneberg, Edda J. & Hegna, Kristinn (2018). Virtuelle grenseutfordringer. Symbolske grenser i spill i The League of Legends. Norsk sosiologisk tidsskrift. 2(3), p. 259–274. doi: 10.18261/issn.2535-2512-2018-03-05. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Artikkelen undersøker hvordan brukere av dataspillet The League of Legends beskriver og forholder seg til symbolske grenser og identitetskonstruksjoner. Artikkelens analytiske og teoretiske rammeverk er inspirert av teorier om symbolske grenser. Analysen er sentrert rundt kulturelle distinksjoner, stereotyper og grensevoktende mekanismer og baserer seg på semi-strukturerte intervjuer med en gruppe unge voksne spillere av begge kjønn, samt observasjoner av gruppen i spillsituasjoner og studier av spillet. Den viser hvordan hierarkier av spilltyper, spillestiler og ferdigheter definerer hva som regnes som en ekte gamer. Sammen med språkbruken i spillet bidrar disse distinksjonene til å utdefinere det feminine, mens maskuline roller tillates en større bredde. Kvinnelige spillernavn utløser grensevoktende reaksjoner i form av negative og seksualiserte tilbakemeldinger fra andre spillere. De kvinnelige informantene reagerer med tilbaketrekning og skjuler sitt kjønn når de spiller. De virtuelle symbolske grensene i spillet utgjør dermed i praksis sosiale grenser for spillerne.

View all works in NVA

Arneberg, Edda J. & Løndal, Eline Molvær (2024). Nyhetsmorgen. [Radio]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive
Arneberg, Edda J. & Aas, Vilde Aardahl (2024). En god venn trenger ikke å være virkelig Mange finner trøst og støtte i kjendiser og folk som egentlig ikke finnes. [Internet]. ung.forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
Arneberg, Edda J. & Storesund, Anna Karolina (2024). Tidligere bloggere:Derfor forsvant de. [Journal]. Dagbladet. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Om man tar en tur tilbake til tidlig 2010-tallet er det mange ikoniske ting og øyeblikk som dominerte hverdagen til unge tenåringsjenter. Noe som kanskje særlig dominerte norske populærkulturen var «blogg.no». Enkelte blogglegender som Sophie Elise Isachsen og Caroline Berg Eriksen gikk all inn som influensere etter at bloggfenomenet ble et lukket kapittel i norgeshistorien. Et tiår seinere har det digitale landskapet opplevd stor endring.
Arneberg, Edda J. (2023). Looking for a sense of belonging: the Paradox of youths YouTube habits. Researching how Norwegian youth use YouTube. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Findings from this research shows that YouTube content is given symbolic value, and that some types of content is deemed as being less appropriate, and not fitted to share with everyone. This paper argues that preferences for content on YouTube is being used to symbolize group membership and as identity marks, and that some preferences are being hidden because its colliding with existing norms in society (Lamont, Pendergrass & Pachucki 2015; Epstein 1992). Findings also show that YouTube logs are seen as personal and private, and that some youths are uncomfortable with donating their log for research purposes. The informants were allowed to edit their logs before sending them in, and there were different reasons for doing this; some was embarrassed about the content they had watched, others felt that the content didn’t represent them in the right way and would give the wrong impression of them, and informants watched content that they felt conflicted with norms and values in their community and for this reason didn’t want to download.I draw upon twelve semi-structured interviews of 60-90 minutes inspired by earlier studies on symbolic boundaries by Michèle Lamont (Lamont 1992; Fujii 2017) with integrated elements of the walk along method (Jørgensen 2016) and the scroll back method (Robards & Lincoln 2017). Six of the informants donated their YouTube logs (van Driel, Giachanou, Pouwels, Boeschoten, Beyens & Valkenburg 2022) and these are used in combination with the interviews
Arneberg, Edda J. (2023). YouTube and Rabbit Holes: Are we even living in the same reality? Researching how Norwegian youth use YouTube. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
In this paper I ask if YouTube content and user practices on the platform are given symbolic value (Bourdieu 1979/1995), and I investigate the possibility that a hierarchy of taste and user habits is used to strengthen the experience of group membership through the creation of symbolic boundaries(Lamont 2015). I draw upon fieldwork, semi structured interviews with 21 teens in the age between 16-19 and on donated YouTube logs (van Driel, Giachanou, Pouwels, Boeschoten, Beyens & Valkenburg 2022). Early analysis finds that informants are giving value to content and user-habits, and that some habits and content have higher status than others. Further there seem to be some tendencies that make plausible a connection between social background and how user habits and media content are being valued.
Arneberg, Edda J. (2023). YouTube is still the most popular media for Norwegian teens, but how are they using it, and what does it mean to them? Full text in Research Archive Show summary
YouTube is used by almost all Norwegian teens in the age between 13-19 years of age, but the numbers have difficulty capturing what YouTube means to them and what role it plays in their daily lives. This research looks at the symbolic value of YouTube, and how YouTube is used to accentuate social status, symbolize belonging, and express identity. Through visiting youth clubs, a parent meeting on screens, a resource center for people living in social housing, and doing individual interviews with youth in the age between 16-19 years, this research tries to capture the different ways YouTube is used, and what it means to this age group. The talk will focus on the concept of social boundaries, how to research them, methodology, and experiences from the field.
Arneberg, Edda Jansdottir (2022). Media-habits and social differences. Are socio-economic differences and paywalls shaping Norwegian youth’s media habits? Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This seminarpaper examines what role entertainment media-content plays in Norwegian youths’ identity-construction and how they use entertainment media-content to negotiate identity and group-membership. The analytical and theoretical framework is inspired by theories concerning symbolic boundaries, cultural distinctions and social identity. The research-design is based on qualitative methods like semi-structured interviews and observation of communication on the platform, the platform in itself, and of the informants YouTube logs. The informants are between 16-19 of age with different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds and the interviews will be centered around questions concerning entertainment-media habits, opinions and reflections concerning their own and others’ userhabits. The aim is to explore if social and cultural background is shaping the informants userhabits.
Arneberg, Edda Jansdottir & Platou, Jeannette (2022). Hvorfor trakasseres kvinnelige utøvere i e-sport? [Radio]. NRK P2. Full text in Research Archive
Arneberg, Edda J. (2022). Does authenticity matter? Exploring how teens value YouTube content in their everyday user-practice. Full text in Research Archive