MediaFutures PostDoc John Magnus R. Dahl has conducted a study of six Norwegian boys to understand how they integrate smartphones into their daily lives. His research focuses on the concept of “world-making,” highlighting how boys aged 16 to 19 from Bergen rely on their phones to connect with friends and shape their identities.
Dahl chose to write a book instead of traditional academic papers, aiming to make his findings more accessible to a wider audience. His upcoming monograph, In the Palm of Their Hands, is set to be published by Palgrave Macmillan in spring 2025.
MediaFutures has talked with Dahl about his research process, the insights he gained, and what his work reveals about the relationship between technology, identity, and masculinity.
What is your book about?
– The book focuses on the role that smartphones play in the everyday lives of Norwegian teenage boys, specifically those aged 16 to 19 from Bergen. I was particularly interested in understanding how they socialize with each other and build their identities through smartphones, which are key parts of growing up today.
How did you actually go about doing this research?
– It was an ethnographic study, which basically means I observed a group of six boys over a year and a half. I had different levels of contact with each of them. Sometimes I would follow them offline—like on the school bus, hanging out with friends—and other times, I’d observe them online, checking their social media. They had control over how much they let me in. Some were really open, others were more private.
The whole idea was to see how they interacted with each other and with their phones, how they were using their smartphones to build their identities. I use this concept of “world-making,” which means that through the phone, they’re not just communicating—they’re creating a whole social world and shaping who they are.
What did the data show once you’d gathered it?
– I had a lot of notes and data, and I tried to break it down through this concept of world-making. I wanted to see what phones meant to these boys—how they used them to present themselves and reach out to others. One big difference I noticed was how most boys were “familiar-oriented”—using phones to connect with people they already knew. But others, like gay boys, were more “stranger-oriented,” using platforms like dating apps to meet new people.
How did you find these boys in the first place?
– I recruited them in different ways. I used apps designed for meeting people, I went to after-school clubs, and honestly, I even just asked people at shopping malls. The mall thing was super awkward, though. There was also a practical reason I focused on boys. I felt it was uncomfortable to approach girls, and then, after hanging out with a few of the boys, I realized how much their phone use was influenced by masculinity. That kind of became the focus—how phones are used by boys to enact their masculinity and connect with friends.
Do you think these findings are relevant outside of Norway?
– Absolutely. A lot of what I found can be applied globally. Youth culture in industrialized countries is quite similar when it comes to using technology to shape identities. I chose to write the book in English because it’s relevant for an international audience, not just in Norway.
What do you think parents and teachers could learn from your book?
– I think it’ll help parents understand both the good and the bad sides of smartphone use. The book really shows how gender plays a role in how boys interact online, but it also touches on aspects that apply to girls and other genders too. It’s not about whether phones are good or bad for kids—it’s more nuanced. It’ll hopefully spark a more balanced conversation about what kind of media and tech kids need.
What about the ethical challenges of this kind of research?
– Yeah, there’s always an ethical side to ethnographic work. It’s about being transparent and reflecting on how my own position as a researcher might influence the data. I had to make sure I was treating all the boys equally and not spending more time with those who seemed more “interesting.” I tried to be very detailed in my notes—writing down exactly what was said and what I observed. But, of course, there are limits. You can’t observe everything.
John Magnus R. Dahl is part of MediaFutures work package 1 which focuses on how we experience media.