DIGITAL PRIVACY PRACTICES AMONG FEMALE FACEBOOK USERS IN ALGERIA: A VIRTUAL ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY IN LIGHT OF GENDERED AND SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXTS

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of social media platforms constitutes a worldwide phenomenon, yet it is inextricably linked to fundamental challenges in digital privacy management—particularly in contexts where conservative cultural norms intersect with entrenched gender roles. This study aims to explore the perceptions and practices of digital privacy among female Facebook users in Algeria, and to analyze the influence of gendered and socio-cultural factors on the everyday strategies employed to negotiate and manage digital boundaries. The research adopts a qualitative design grounded in virtual ethnography (Netnography), encompassing digital participant observation and structured online interviews with two participants from the northern and southern regions of Algeria, conducted over a two-week period in May 2025. Data were analyzed through inductive thematic analysis, with strict adherence to ethical standards and systematic documentation of researcher positionality.

The findings reveal that participants employ complex negotiation strategies, including the construction of multiple digital identities, precision-targeted audience customization for published content, and preemptive self-censorship. Privacy, it emerges, is not managed as an abstract individual right but rather as a "relational responsibility," shaped through the interplay of familial pressures, reputational norms, and community surveillance. A pronounced "privacy paradox" was also observed, manifesting as a tension between awareness of digital risks and the continued, active engagement with the platform. The study concludes that digital privacy in the Algerian context is a dynamic process at the intersection of technological architectures and social formations—one that necessitates the development of gender-sensitive privacy policies, contextually informed digital literacy programs, and institutional protective mechanisms cognizant of local complexities.