Cultural citizenship processes on social media: How women negotiate identity online

Cultural citizenship suggests that people negotiate what it means to be a citizen and belong to a nation. Social media is an online space where women can practise citizenship, where the sense of belonging and norms of what it means to be a citizen are negotiated. This study explored how women in the United Arab Emirates use social media as a public space for negotiating an Emirati identity. Focus groups were conducted with young Emirati women. Results reflected the complexities of women’s move from private to public online spaces in a society where it is uncommon for women to participate in public life. This research offers theoretical implications for the role of social media in facilitating cultural citizenship processes outside Western contexts.