Regional Television and Collective Ethnic Identity: Investigating the SNS Outlets of Arab TV Shows

This article investigates the issue of Arab collective identity manifested in the mediated type of communication taking places on social media. The study employs multiple methodologies to provide a better understanding of Arab audiences’ online engagements with four MBC TV shows that are regarded as...

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Main Author: Ahmed Al-Rawi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2018-09-01
Series:Social Media + Society
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118795879
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author Ahmed Al-Rawi
author_facet Ahmed Al-Rawi
author_sort Ahmed Al-Rawi
collection DOAJ
description This article investigates the issue of Arab collective identity manifested in the mediated type of communication taking places on social media. The study employs multiple methodologies to provide a better understanding of Arab audiences’ online engagements with four MBC TV shows that are regarded as among the most popular throughout the MENA region as contestants from almost all Arab countries have the chance to participate in them. These shows use Arabic as a bond that unites Arab viewers from different national, religious, and racial backgrounds into distinct online communities. In total, the study offers an analysis of over 839,000 comments from four Facebook pages including Arab Idol, Arabs Got Talent, The Voice, and The Voice Kids. We argue that the notion of Arab identity is an imagined concept since the mediated communication on social media shows different identity affiliations especially toward the national one.
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spelling doaj.art-390efca093b548ebb767a896559e66a22022-12-22T01:25:12ZengSAGE PublishingSocial Media + Society2056-30512018-09-01410.1177/2056305118795879Regional Television and Collective Ethnic Identity: Investigating the SNS Outlets of Arab TV ShowsAhmed Al-RawiThis article investigates the issue of Arab collective identity manifested in the mediated type of communication taking places on social media. The study employs multiple methodologies to provide a better understanding of Arab audiences’ online engagements with four MBC TV shows that are regarded as among the most popular throughout the MENA region as contestants from almost all Arab countries have the chance to participate in them. These shows use Arabic as a bond that unites Arab viewers from different national, religious, and racial backgrounds into distinct online communities. In total, the study offers an analysis of over 839,000 comments from four Facebook pages including Arab Idol, Arabs Got Talent, The Voice, and The Voice Kids. We argue that the notion of Arab identity is an imagined concept since the mediated communication on social media shows different identity affiliations especially toward the national one.https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118795879
spellingShingle Ahmed Al-Rawi
Regional Television and Collective Ethnic Identity: Investigating the SNS Outlets of Arab TV Shows
Social Media + Society
title Regional Television and Collective Ethnic Identity: Investigating the SNS Outlets of Arab TV Shows
title_full Regional Television and Collective Ethnic Identity: Investigating the SNS Outlets of Arab TV Shows
title_fullStr Regional Television and Collective Ethnic Identity: Investigating the SNS Outlets of Arab TV Shows
title_full_unstemmed Regional Television and Collective Ethnic Identity: Investigating the SNS Outlets of Arab TV Shows
title_short Regional Television and Collective Ethnic Identity: Investigating the SNS Outlets of Arab TV Shows
title_sort regional television and collective ethnic identity investigating the sns outlets of arab tv shows
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118795879
work_keys_str_mv AT ahmedalrawi regionaltelevisionandcollectiveethnicidentityinvestigatingthesnsoutletsofarabtvshows