research-article

"Against Marrying a Stranger": Marital Matchmaking Technologies in Saudi Arabia

Authors:

Adel Al-Dawood,

Norah Abokhodair,

Houda Elmimouni,

Svetlana YaroshAuthors Info & Claims

DIS '17: Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems

Pages 1013 - 1024

https://doi.org/10.1145/3064663.3064683

Published: 10 June 2017 Publication History

Abstract

Websites and applications that match and connect individuals for romantic purposes are commonly used in the Western world. However, there have not been many previous investigations focusing on cultural factors that affect the adoption of similar technologies in religiously conservative non-Western cultures. In this study, we examine the socio-technical and cultural factors that influence the perceptions and use of matchmaking technologies in Saudi Arabia. We report the methods and findings of interviews with 18 Saudi nationals (nine males and nine females) with diverse demographics and backgrounds. We provide qualitatively generated insights into the major themes reported by our participants related to the common approaches to matchmaking, the current role of technology, and concerns regarding matchmaking technologies in this cultural con-text. We relate these themes to specific implications for designing marital matchmaking technologies in Saudi Arabia and we outline opportunities for future investigations.

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Cited By

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Index Terms

"Against Marrying a Stranger": Marital Matchmaking Technologies in Saudi Arabia
1. Information systems

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Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

DIS '17: Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems

June 2017

1444 pages

ISBN:9781450349222

DOI:10.1145/3064663

General Chair:
Oli Mival
Edinburgh Napier University, UK
,
Program Chairs:
Michael Smyth
Edinburgh Napier University, UK
,
Peter Dalsgaard
Aarhus University, Denmark

Copyright © 2017 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Published: 10 June 2017

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DIS '17: Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2017

June 10 - 14, 2017

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

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DIS '17 Paper Acceptance Rate 107 of 487 submissions, 22%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 1,158 of 4,684 submissions, 25%

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3679318.3685371
Shen CXu YLc RLu Z(2024)Seeking Soulmate via Voice: Understanding Promises and Challenges of Online Synchronized Voice-Based Mobile DatingProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642860(1-14)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642860
Ibrahim ZNurain NClawson J(2024)Tracking During Ramadan: Examining the Intersection of Menstrual and Religious Tracking Practices Among Muslim Women in the United StatesProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642374(1-19)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642374
Karandashev VKarandashev V(2024)Within-Cultural and Inter-Cultural Interpersonal AttractionThe Varieties of Love as Interpersonal Attraction10.1007/978-3-031-63577-9_6(275-311)Online publication date: 23-Jul-2024
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He CHe LLu ZLi B(2023)Seeking Love and Companionship through Streaming: Unpacking Livestreamer-moderated Senior Matchmaking in ChinaProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581195(1-18)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
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Lazem SGiglitto DNkwo MMthoko HUpani JPeters A(2022)Challenges and Paradoxes in Decolonising HCI: A Critical DiscussionComputer Supported Cooperative Work10.1007/s10606-021-09398-031:2(159-196)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2022
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Karandashev VKarandashev V(2022)Models of Rational LoveCultural Typologies of Love10.1007/978-3-031-05343-6_8(305-335)Online publication date: 2-Sep-2022
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Al-Dawood AAlhajhussein SYarosh S(2021)Saudi Arabian Parents' Perception of Online Marital Matchmaking TechnologiesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/34329104:CSCW3(1-32)Online publication date: 5-Jan-2021
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