research-article

Photo Sharing in the Arab Gulf: Expressing the Collective and Autonomous Selves

Authors:

Norah Abokhodair,

Sarah ViewegAuthors Info & Claims

CSCW '17: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

Pages 696 - 711

https://doi.org/10.1145/2998181.2998338

Published: 25 February 2017 Publication History

Abstract

Current research demonstrates that when people engage in social photo sharing, they are mindful of how audiences perceive and interact with their photos. We extend this vein of inquiry to focus on photo sharing in the context of the Arab Gulf. We provide insight into how this activity is practiced in a region governed by strict adherence to cultural norms and Islamic traditions that dictate how to "appropriately" share content in digital settings. In particular, we look at the relationship between photo sharing and its effects on identity and self-presentation. To understand how Saudi and Qatari participants represent themselves through photo sharing applications, we conducted 42 face-to-face interviews. Our results reveal that Arab Gulf users engage in photo sharing practices that construct a collective self, distinct from an autonomous self. This collective self often trumps the autonomous self in shaping photo sharing practices.

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Index Terms

Photo Sharing in the Arab Gulf: Expressing the Collective and Autonomous Selves
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Computing / technology policy

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cover image ACM Conferences

CSCW '17: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

February 2017

2556 pages

ISBN:9781450343350

DOI:10.1145/2998181

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Charlotte P. Lee
University of Washington
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Louise Barkhuus
Stockholm University and Cornell Tech
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Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
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Wendy Kellogg
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

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Published: 25 February 2017

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CSCW '17 Paper Acceptance Rate 183 of 530 submissions, 35%;

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3616024
Cochrane LAmin HAl‐kaabi N(2024)National Identity in Qatar: A Systematic Literature ReviewStudies in Ethnicity and Nationalism10.1111/sena.1241724:2(145-164)Online publication date: 17-Mar-2024
https://doi.org/10.1111/sena.12417
Farooq ASalminen JMartin JAldous KJung SJansen B(2024)Exploring Social Media Privacy Concerns: A Comprehensive Survey Study Across 16 Middle Eastern and North African CountriesIEEE Access10.1109/ACCESS.2024.346386912(147087-147105)Online publication date: 2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3463869
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Alshehri TKirkham RDombrowski LOlivier P(2022)Designing for Culturally Sensitive Cultural ChangeProceedings of the 2022 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3532106.3533512(599-611)Online publication date: 13-Jun-2022
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