Young People’s Emotional Experiences with Music in Daily Listening Practices within Digital Environments : A Qualitative Content Evaluation.

Sammanfattning

During the various stages of the developmental period of youth, young individuals engage with music to articulate their emotions and cultivate a sense of solidarity. Additionally, a major portion of young people's daily lives could be said to be significantly related to music, especially in digital environments. A substantial amount of research, however, focuses on the explanations for why music affects young people's emotional well-being. The purpose of this thesis is to provide new insight by examining how young individuals emotionally experience music as well as construct meaning from what they experience within their daily lives in digital environments. This study is based on semi-structured life-world interviews conducted online in written form with six young individuals aged between 18 and 25 who frequently listen to music within digital environments. I analysed the interviews using a qualitative content method and this strategy allows for a thorough examination of participants’ assertions and interpretations, including emotional experiences associated with digital music consumption. Through this study, I identified the primary areas of interest: the first is about how music is related to young people's emotional experiences; the second is about the experiences that young people go through on a daily basis; the third is about how young people perceive the meaning of music in a digital environment. The findings are partly consistent with previous research, although some significant differences emerged. Participants perceive the emotional experience of music as an involved, personalized, and continuous process. In reference to the outcomes, young individuals contend that music facilitates constructing a nurturing emotive atmosphere within daily digital environments, strengthening emotional comprehension together with interpretation as individuals. Whilst young individuals keep listening to music frequently their emotional experiences with music vary between comfort and melancholy. My findings indicate that music listening serves not only as a way of recreational activity but also as a vital component of everyday emotional experiences within digital environments.