The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out on behalf of a research project about the Swedish startup/internet community and suggests that the 1990s can be seen as an iconic period of time for the Swedish Internet scene. It is argued that mental associations and imaginations associated with the 1990s are still relevant for the intellectual construction of the present-day internet-scene through providing a framework for the making of a space in Michel de Certeau’s sense of the word. The article presents reoccurring themes from the interviews with the informants, highlighted as examples of important stories about the 1990s that are active in constructing the framework for the organization of later experiences.

This paper is based on a research project studying national identification among Swedish Internet entrepreneurs and swe-des belonging to the start-up community in Berlin, New York, San Francisco and Stockholm. Swedish entrepreneurs have in recent years been establishing successful companies in the internet/tech-field, such as for example Skype and Spotify. A positive national identification and a good reputation of Swedes in this particular context, is sometimes considered an advantage for example when trying to raise venture capital and attract foreign investors. The paper examines to what extent and how “the Swedish” is something that is understood as a factor of success and how this identification is linked to a history of Swedish entrepreneurship, with parallels to the dot-com boom in the nineties, as well as present-day thri-ving companies. However, a national identification is sometimes de-emphasized in favor of a more cosmopolitan identifi-cation connected with the ideal of being mobile and a part of a global professional elite, rather being than associated with a particular nationality. The negotiation of a meritocratic identification as a cosmopolitan vagabond and expert; in this context sometimes referred to as a “digital nomad”, travelling between globally important tech hubs, and the privileged identification with a Swedish nationality is thus further examined.

The article is based on my postdoc project that is studying national identification among a total of 23 Swedish internet and tech entrepreneurs based in Stockholm, Berlin, New York City and San Francisco. The purpose of this article is to explore how and when ”Swedishness” is considered as something of value for the informants, possible to use as an asset, for example, when it comes to attracting foreign investors, and how and when it is rather toned down in favor of a more cosmopolitan and meritocratic identification. In recent years, Sweden has had significant success in the tech/internet sector. Especially informants based in Europe highlighted the interest of Swedes on the tech scene as something important and used ”Swedishness” in their self-presentations. The informants who were based in the US, and especially in San Francisco, showed a tendency instead to emphasize an identification with a global elite. On the other hand, they also showed a greater tendency to highlight qualities of the Swedish society at large, which those who were still based in Europe did not do to the same extent

This paper takes its starting point from a research project studying Swedish tech-entrepreneurs, living and working in Europe and in the US. Sweden has in recent years been playing a relevant role in the internet/tech-field with successful companies such as for example Skype and Spotify. The paper sets out to investigate San Francisco, as both an actual and an imagined place. Migrating to San Francisco (and/or Silicon Valley) is for the internet/tech-community primarily associated with opportunities for success - and it is for many entrepreneurs in the field regarded as the ultimate location to live and work. How is San Francisco constructed as a mythical, imagined place that holds relevance for the tech scene? And how is this image mediated in different channels such as for example social and traditional media? The social ideal of making a difference in a global context can be regarded as an important value for the Internet/tech community but the utopian image of San Francisco as the most important global tech hub is at the same time challenged by the city's social problems such as poverty and segregation. How do the skilled migrants of the transnational network that is the tech community experience this conflict? Including perspectives from both residents and prospective residents of San Francisco/Silicon Valley, this paper explores envisioned migration, as well as actual everyday life and concrete experiences.