Memory sharing on social media in the Arabic context.

Abstract

Social media has transformed memory sharing into a virtual and public interaction, yet little is known about why individuals share memories online and how this relates to the features of their shared memories or their well-being. We examined these questions in a student sample (study 1, N = 120, M_age = 22.47, 85.83% female) and a community sample (study 2, N = 102, M_age = 28.24, 60.78% female) in the United Arab Emirates, where social media usage is widespread. Results showed that, consistent with findings from other non-Western cultures, Arab youth share memories on social media more for directive than other purposes, whereas Arab adults share memories equally for all purposes. Furthermore, purposes for sharing personal experiences on social media were related to actual social media use and, when aligned with cultural orientation, contributed to well-being. Overall, these findings provide novel insights into the purposes of online memory sharing in an understudied cultural context and support the person-culture-fit framework positing that culture-congruent remembering promotes well-being.