Privacy and Twitter in Qatar: Traditional Values in the Digital World

Abstract: We explore the meaning of privacy from the perspective of Qatari nationals as it manifests in digital environments. Although privacy is an essential and widely respected value in many cultures, the way in which it is understood and enacted depends on context. It is especially vital to understand user behaviors regarding privacy in the digital sphere, where individuals increasingly publish personal information. Our mixed-methods analysis of 18K Twitter posts that mention privacy focuses on the face to face and digital contexts in which privacy is mentioned, and how those contexts lead to varied ideologies regarding privacy. We find that in the Arab Gulf, the need for privacy is often supported by Quranic text, advice on how to protect privacy is frequently discussed, and the use of paternalistic language by men when discussing women related privacy is common. Above all, privacy is framed as a communal attribute, including not only the individual, but the behavior of those around them; it even extends beyond the individual lifespan. We contribute an analysis and description of these previously unexplored interpretations of privacy, which play a role in how users navigate social media.