Facebook Users Connecting with Strangers in Jeddah

This is a work in progress, and it's mine, so please take care to not use any of the text without my permission.

SUGGESTIONS? Don't be shy! Email me.

I'm currently looking for literature to form a theory. It's due in four days, and I'm lost. I can't find the combination of the need for social capital and the initiative to connect with strangers. It's so common and useful, though. You'd think it'd be easier.

Introduction

Social networking sites have gained popularity at an exponential rate, with some sites being more widespread than others. Facebook is one of the more indispensable networks for some and has become as ubiquitous on the Internet as Google. The culture of the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia, gave the site an extended reason to be utilized. With norms such as segregation and impassivity towards publicity, Facebook became a locale of community with emphasis on casual socializing. Its privacy has been a matter of dispute globally due to rigid terms of use that require users to use their real identity. This has reflected in the emerged convention of requesting only real offline acquaintances as friends*, which was an uncommon practice on such websites until today.

     The matter of privacy also caused disagreement in Saudi Arabia since exclusivity is a steadfast concept, leading many to keep their identity concealed and treat the service with past general social network policies. This meant many users registered under false names and befriended those they never met or had any mutual connection with. Recently, many users of this nature changed their ways to coincide with the terms of use, but there are still a large number applying mentioned old habits. In Jeddah, the digitally connected population have intricate interconnections derived from strong bonds in and between families and institutions, leading to the declination of requests from unknown individuals. This paper aims to gain an understanding of those in Jeddah requesting the friendship of local strangers, why they do so, and how the approached individuals feel towards the gesture.

Jeddah's Wired Generation

This is a research project that I didn't pursue for my university course because of its complexity and size. The writing isn't very academic at all, which is why I scratched it; I'd rather it be more intimate than a formal research paper.

If you're interested in taking this research on, update me (for my curiosity) and do not use this text unless cited.

SUGGESTIONS? Don't be shy! Email me.

     Girls of Riyadh would seem to have nothing to do with Jeddah's youth and their interaction with the World Wide Web. After being distributed as a book in the Middle East, it was made clear one, in particular a girl of marital age, could get emotionally attached to something so relevant and familiar. Originally a set of emails that were mass-delivered chapter by chapter on a weekly basis, the sensitive topics covered represented average Generation Y* girls in Saudi Arabia facing adopted and inherited cultures. While these represented people were on the brink of higher education and adulthood, their younger siblings most probably shared a CRT monitor's warm glow and a modem's recent dial-up connection to turn to in times of leisure.

     Their culture was a whirl of change and world away from their parents' with dilemmas of adopted and inherited identities. The males pride themselves on not allowing anyone to utter their mother's name while girls are making names for themselves. Factors such as international pressure to adopt globalized commercial values and studying abroad plays a role and is understood using other regions, but what other influences have not been surfaced?