How do Saudi youth engage with social media?

Authors

  • Nigel Stanger University of Otago
  • Noorah Alnaghaimshi University of Otago
  • Erika Pearson

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v22i5.7102

Keywords:

social media, Saudi Arabia, engagement, culture, religion

Abstract

With the global growth of social media platforms, there are questions as to how regional cultural factors shape online engagement. Focusing on young Saudi Arabian users of some of the more popular platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, this article uses Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to assess how cultural and religious factors are shaping and constraining online social media engagements. Using interviews, questionnaires, and analysis of individual profiles, this paper discusses some of the intertwined cultural and religious factors that influence how Saudi youth negotiate their use of social media platforms that are developed in completely different cultural contexts. In particular, this article highlights gendered concerns and the strong influence of the social collective on how these sites are used and how users manage the information they share. Through the development of “personas” as representative young Saudi users, this article concludes with some recommendations for platform developers as to how to meet the needs of this growing market.

Author Biographies

Nigel Stanger, University of Otago

Nigel Stanger, Ph.D., is a Lecturer in Information Science at the University of Otago, New Zealand.

Noorah Alnaghaimshi, University of Otago

Noorah Alnaghaimshi, M.Sc., was a Master’s student in the Department of Information Science at the University of Otago, New Zealand. She completed her Master’s degree in July 2016.

Erika Pearson

Erika Pearson, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer in Communication and Public Relations at the School of Communication, Journalism & Marketing at Massey University, New Zealand.

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Published

2017-05-02

How to Cite

Stanger, N., Alnaghaimshi, N., & Pearson, E. (2017). How do Saudi youth engage with social media?. First Monday, 22(5). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v22i5.7102

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Section

Articles