KICKER: Evolution
A shift in tradition
Throughout the Gulf region, marriage behaviour and family life are changing. This recent upheaval is debatably more relevant given the rise of social media usage. Social networks and online interactions have transformed relationships from how people meet and connect, to how relationships have evolved. In the UAE, social media has helped boost communication channels between the two genders. It is becoming acceptable, especially for girls to post pictures of themselves online, share their interests, and have the freedom to chat with whomsoever. It was quite difficult in the past to make friends with the opposite gender, let alone finding a spouse from within the region.
Conversely, because of social media, personal information can be exchanged between the genders, for instance, the female in certain cases knows whom she is talking to, and the male knows how the girl is, her behaviour, her interests, her social friends, and perhaps the family she comes from. Thus, a bubble of trust can be created, which fosters interaction and social involvement.
Thereafter, a social online platform is available for nationals to get to know each other, which greatly shifted the traditional ways of meeting. Indeed, it has upset the first generation, however, it is natural that social change is an obvious feature of human existence. The practice of arranged marriage is slowly drifting away, as nowadays if a man wants to get married, he could choose a girl who he likes, and in turn, the girl can voice her opinion about the marriage and the man who wants to marry her.
From Ms Mouza Al Samahi
Masters student based in London, UK
KICKER: Trust factor
Let’s explore both worlds!
Social media has definitely gained a lot of prominence in this day and age. We spend endless hours chatting to family members, friends and random people all around the world. It has, indeed, become a big part of our everyday life routine. By shifting to the virtual world, we are enabling new types of communication that were previously unknown. The increase in social networking is surely helping people all around the world to connect with each other, thus increasing matrimonial prospects. I have met a lot of new people on the internet, who are now my close friends. However, it is easier said than done and finding true love or a true friend on a social networking site is probably harder than in real life because our online profiles are not necessarily a true reflection of who we really are. Getting to know people and gaining trust in them over the internet takes a lot of time and effort, especially because of the lack of face-to-face interaction that is a determining factor to a long lasting friendship or a marriage. However, we can definitely overcome these barriers and a lot of people have proved that by marrying their former Facebook or Instagram crush. Nothing is impossible and the options are endless, so why not explore both worlds?
From Mr Ahmad A.B
Student based in Kuwait
KICKER: Reality check
Lines have been blurred out!
Social media has changed the dynamics in the way people connect and interact all together. Whereas in the past we may have stayed in touch with four or five of our closest friends more regularly, we now have an average social friend group of four to five hundred friends, family members, acquaintances and colleagues, all of whom have access to the same information about us. Lines separating the ways we communicate with friends, colleagues and parents have been blurred because of the transparent nature of social media that allows everybody to view our posts in one general tone. Where matrimonial prospects have benefitted from social media, in our region, is when groups of people with common interests connect regardless of their genders and ages. This has created a healthy environment for males and females to exchange thoughts, beliefs and character traits; an opportunity that presented itself with difficulty in the offline days. The social world has offered our region the luxury to consider potential spouses in a relatively transparent setting away from arrangement of marriages, the complications of family involvement, or compromise on social values.
However, what we see on social media is not always a true reflection of a person’s character, rather an exaggerated expression of how people want to be perceived by others. Although it is a positive platform for those with similar pursuits to interact, it still is a person’s responsibility to assess the closeness of an online persona with its offline reality and take the commitment step the old fashioned way.
From Ms Ahlam Bolooki
Communications specialist based in Dubai
KICKER: Old is gold
Traditions will never go out of fashion!
Living in an internet age has opened up a lot of doors in terms of communication. We are now able to stay in touch with each other in ways that were not possible for previous generations. However, being able to do so, has its positives and negatives. For instance, we tend to rely on the internet instead of actually meeting up, thus, losing out on face-to-face interaction. However, at the some time, the internet and the rise of social media has enabled us to get in touch with people whom we may not have connected with otherwise. Although we are expanding our social circle and connecting with new people in ways that are different than the ‘traditional’ way, we must not forget our values and beliefs. I definitely think that the rise in online presence has improved matrimonial prospects not only in the region, but all around the world. It is important to embrace the change that our society is going through, but we must not necessarily break free from traditional patterns.
I believe that the rise in social media and the change in pattern is good and it definitely gives us a different perspective, but there are so many points that need to be examined. For instance, the way people behave online, might not necessarily be how he or she would act in real life. While I do enjoy connecting with different people, I do not think that I would go as far as choosing a spouse based on an online profile.
From Mr Salah Al Marzouqi
Student based in Brisbane, Australia
KICKER: Fake reality
Social media dating is deceiving
Social media relationships have been identified as the interaction that occurs between two partners through the internet. In my point of view, such relationships are only sustained for a certain amount of time. The foremost difference between offline and online relationships is that it lacks face-to-face interaction, and they might even be in different parts of the world. However, since the rise of the internet, which resulted in the upbringing of social media, we have created a new approach to human relationships. This change has affected the way that we connect with each other to the point that we have almost completely abandoned the idea of social interaction and forgot about the importance of real communication. Moreover, online relationships have also changed the way couples maintain their real relationships, and this is mainly due to the diversion of the “true community”. As a result, a lot of people consider the virtual world as the new way of connecting, and possibly for matrimonial prospects. It has completely replaced our face-to-face communications, the need to understand each other, and also has decreased the sympathy between the members of our community due to the lack of the physical interactions.
However, the main con with social media is that it leads to the misrepresentation of the person’s real status, personality, skills, and even his or her behaviour. So, when a person is willing to find a partner through the internet, he or she will consequently be deceived with a fake personality that might appear through typing rather than the actual face-to-face communication that is more transparent and reliable.
From Ms Rania Atoum
Pharmaceutical student based in Sharjah
Facebook comments:
Social media has undoubtedly helped people socialise online and connect with a wider segment of users. However, it has also fuelled-up fake relationships that last temporarily since most people online are not genuine or sincere enough to be interested in marriage. Most of the times, the personal information that people share on social media are untrue and deceptive. In fact, social media is to be blamed for the boyfriend-girlfriend trend that has become a norm these days and is a curse on the young generation. It is very rare to witness the union between people who have met on social networking sites.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
Of course, matrimonial prospects have increased as it is right at your fingertips and the possibilities are endless.
From Ms Patricia Cooksey
UAE
— Compiled by Donia Jenabzadeh/Community Web Editor
