Facebook’s Compatibility, Reasons for Disclosure, and Discussion of Social and Political Issues: The Case of University Students Using Facebook

Abstract

This paper presents the results and discussion of qualitative interviews that were conducted with 20 of Saudi university students, including findings concerning their opinions about the compatibility of Facebook with Saudi culture. It also examines their reasoning and privacy concerns when disclosing personal information online, and reports their perceptions about discussing social and political issues on Facebook. The results reveal that Saudi university students have a positive attitude toward Facebook, regard it as an integral part of their daily lives, and do not consider deactivating or deleting their accounts. Despite acknowledging the potential costs and negative consequences of sharing personal information, the majority of the respondents did not conceal their personal information on their Facebook accounts, as long as the disclosure of such information did not come to cost them too much in comparison to what they were getting from its platform. Focusing on social and political issues, the issues they discussed covered a wide range of topics.