Andrea Miconi
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of young people and social media in Palestine. I conducted a two-step study: a preliminary online questionnaire (103 cases) followed by 18 in person in-depth interviews with Palestinian users aged 19-29, conducted in the West Bank in June 2018. By focusing on the in-depth interviews, we will examine youth use of social media, namely, the extension of networks, the balance between interest-driven and friendship-driven motivations, and the particular meaning of online socialization in an occupied territory. In the end, a common attitude seems to emerge. This attitude deals with the building of a solidarity grounded in physical experience and in local community, while traditional Palestinian media looked abroad, with the aim of putting pressure on international public opinion. In this sense, we will try to explore a different side of Palestinian daily life, and to take into account ordinary rather than political uses of social media.
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