About

Jakob Linaa Jensen holds an MA and a PhD in political science from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. The dissertation addressed deliberative quality and democratic inclusion in online political debates. Since then his main research has been focused on social and democratic uses of the Internet. He has published one book and several international articles on the use of the Internet for purposes of tourism and leisure. He has also done research on the uses and social consequences of online social networks like Facebook and MySpace.

Currently Jakob is a part of a big Danish national research project on the new borderlines and interfaces of the public sphere. The main hypotheses of the project is that the public sphere is becoming transformed by the advance of new media technologies, but also that a crucial, substantial change is at play where practices of consumption, entertainment and lifestyle ought to be included in analyses of political relevant phenomena. The data of the project will be comparable to similar British and American projects.

Research Interests

Social networks, online communities, e-democracy, tourism, online social behaviour.

Positions at the OII

• Visiting Fellow, September 2010 - November 2010