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Dick Stenmark

Professor

Department of Applied IT, div Informatics
Telephone
+46 31-786 29 23
+46 766-18 29 23
Mail
dick.stenmark@ait.gu.se
Visiting address
Medicinaregatan 7B (Natrium)
41390 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 470
405 30 Göteborg

About Dick Stenmark

Professor of Informatics, Department of Applied IT

I am a Professor of Informatics at the University of Gothenburg, working on issues related to digitalisation, information practices and sociotechnical systems. In recent years, my research has increasingly focused on how digital technologies shape mountain hiking and outdoor recreation – activities that were previously deeply analogue but are now being reshaped through digital information seeking, navigation, documentation, risk management and profiling.

Research profile

My ongoing research programme, Digital Mountain Practices (DiMP), examines how digital technologies, information practices and sociotechnical configurations shape hiking and place relations in Nordic mountain environments. Through interview studies, digital ethnography, social media analysis and studies of long‑distance hiking, the programme investigates how people navigate, document and make sense of mountain landscapes in a digital age. DiMP serves as a platform for scientific publications, methodological development and future research applications.

Survey study of preparation, performance and reflection

In spring 2025, I conducted a survey among Swedish mountain hikers together with a group of students. Conceptually, we divided mountain hiking into three phases: preparation, performance and reflection, corresponding to the internationally used concepts of pre‑hike, on‑hike and post‑hike. This work resulted in three scientific articles:

  • Uneven digitalisation in the backcountry: Factors shaping technology use among multi-day mountain hikers (Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 2026)

  • Anticipatory Information Behaviour Under Uncertainty: Temporal, Experiential and Spatial Conditions in Digital Information Environments for Mountain Hiking (under review)

  • Hybrid Information Practices in Mountain Hiking: Sociotechnical Configurations of Post Hike Engagement (under review)

Field studies along the Kungsleden trail

During late summer 2025, I conducted two field studies along the Kungsleden trail. The first involved interviews with international participants in Fjällräven Classic, an annual event organised by an outdoor equipment manufacturer. I later complemented this material with interviews with Swedish mountain hikers. The two data collections have both overlapping and distinct research foci and will result in additional publications during autumn and winter.

Teaching

I am course coordinator for the Research Methods course in the third year of the Systems Science programme, where I also supervise and examine bachelor theses. I have supervised three theses connected to my research area:

  • Fjällvandrare i det digitala landskapet: En explorativ enkätstudie om digital informationsinsamling i svenska fjällvandrares planering (2025)

  • Digital teknik i fjällmiljö: en kvantitativ analys av vandrares användningsmönster. Hur demografiska och kontextuella faktorer påverkar integrationen av digitala verktyg under fjällvandring (2025)

  • Digital teknik i fjällens sociotekniska landskap: Hur digitala praktiker formar relationen till plats genom sociotekniska mekanismer (2026)