In the past decade, the popularization of social media in Pakistan has greatly influenced the way... more In the past decade, the popularization of social media in Pakistan has greatly influenced the way in which people communicate and interact with each other. The rapidly evolving nature of online social media communication in the country when viewed against the backdrop of the country’s socio-cultural characteristics and religion is particularly significant. Facebook, being the prime social media platform in Pakistan has been revolutionary and liberating because while acting as a medium of communication, which transgresses the traditional manner of gendered social interactions, it has at the same time enabled the users to perpetuate and reinforce the existing gender ideology. As a result, Facebook in Pakistan has evolved into a space where individuals construct gender identities discursively. Using Multimodal Discourse Analysis, I investigate the ways in which Pakistani men multimodally construct their gender identities on Facebook. I show how Pakistani men are not only upholding the ...
This article investigates the construction of gender identities of Pakistani men and women Facebo... more This article investigates the construction of gender identities of Pakistani men and women Facebook users given that Facebook has emerged as the prime social media platform through which Pakistani users interact. By employing thematic analysis and taking insights from theory of performativity and intersectionality, the findings of the interview data suggest that the formation, negotiation, and expression of gender identities on Facebook occurs through complex interplay between the discourses of religion, class, culture, and tradition. In some cases, Facebook highlighted the reproduction of the prevalent cultural models of masculinity and femininity while in other cases; there was resistance to the existing socio-religious cultural norms of the society.
Facebook has recently gained popularity among young, digitally literate and predominantly urban P... more Facebook has recently gained popularity among young, digitally literate and predominantly urban Pakistanis. Such social networking sites allow users the freedom to express themselves using usernames, visuals and topics of their own choice. In this article, I examine how Pakistani Facebook users mobilize such resources in their identity work. Using Multimodal Discourse Analysis, I investigate how Pakistani women construct their gender identities on Facebook using visual and linguistic resources. The results revealed the significant impact of Facebook on the socio-cultural and linguistic norms of discourse in Pakistan that enables women to challenge established communication models while they simultaneously reinforce traditional gender models. KEYWORDS Facebook; gender identities; multimodal discourse analysis; Pakistan; women Introduction Social media provide people with platforms for building and maintaining social relations with other individuals, regardless of age, language, ethnicity, color, region, sex or religion (boyd & Ellison, 2007). The popularity of social media resides in the diverse range of resources such as audios, videos, visuals, text and gifs that are on offer for online communication. However, these also offer a means of communication that facilitates transgression of traditional gendered social interactions. This is especially important contexts like Pakistan, where women who choose to express their individuality, assert rights, exercise freedom of choice, voice opinions openly, and move in the public sphere among or with men, all of which may often be looked down
In the past decade, the popularization of social media in Pakistan has greatly influenced the way... more In the past decade, the popularization of social media in Pakistan has greatly influenced the way in which people communicate and interact with each other. The rapidly evolving nature of online social media communication in the country when viewed against the backdrop of the country’s socio-cultural characteristics and religion is particularly significant. Facebook, being the prime social media platform in Pakistan has been revolutionary and liberating because while acting as a medium of communication, which transgresses the traditional manner of gendered social interactions, it has at the same time enabled the users to perpetuate and reinforce the existing gender ideology. As a result, Facebook in Pakistan has evolved into a space where individuals construct gender identities discursively. Using Multimodal Discourse Analysis, I investigate the ways in which Pakistani men multimodally construct their gender identities on Facebook. I show how Pakistani men are not only upholding the ...
This article investigates the construction of gender identities of Pakistani men and women Facebo... more This article investigates the construction of gender identities of Pakistani men and women Facebook users given that Facebook has emerged as the prime social media platform through which Pakistani users interact. By employing thematic analysis and taking insights from theory of performativity and intersectionality, the findings of the interview data suggest that the formation, negotiation, and expression of gender identities on Facebook occurs through complex interplay between the discourses of religion, class, culture, and tradition. In some cases, Facebook highlighted the reproduction of the prevalent cultural models of masculinity and femininity while in other cases; there was resistance to the existing socio-religious cultural norms of the society.
Facebook has recently gained popularity among young, digitally literate and predominantly urban P... more Facebook has recently gained popularity among young, digitally literate and predominantly urban Pakistanis. Such social networking sites allow users the freedom to express themselves using usernames, visuals and topics of their own choice. In this article, I examine how Pakistani Facebook users mobilize such resources in their identity work. Using Multimodal Discourse Analysis, I investigate how Pakistani women construct their gender identities on Facebook using visual and linguistic resources. The results revealed the significant impact of Facebook on the socio-cultural and linguistic norms of discourse in Pakistan that enables women to challenge established communication models while they simultaneously reinforce traditional gender models. KEYWORDS Facebook; gender identities; multimodal discourse analysis; Pakistan; women Introduction Social media provide people with platforms for building and maintaining social relations with other individuals, regardless of age, language, ethnicity, color, region, sex or religion (boyd & Ellison, 2007). The popularity of social media resides in the diverse range of resources such as audios, videos, visuals, text and gifs that are on offer for online communication. However, these also offer a means of communication that facilitates transgression of traditional gendered social interactions. This is especially important contexts like Pakistan, where women who choose to express their individuality, assert rights, exercise freedom of choice, voice opinions openly, and move in the public sphere among or with men, all of which may often be looked down
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Papers by Rauha Salam