“(Virtuous) Wives Don’t Have Anything to Hide”: Understanding Digital Privacy Perceptions and Behavior of Married Women in Rural India

This study explores digital privacy perceptions and behaviors among married women in rural India, a rapidly expanding demographic of mobile media and Internet users in the Global South. This ethnographic study found that women’s experience of privacy entails balancing between norms related to “hide”...

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Main Authors: Debjani Chakraborty, Chhavi Garg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Social Media + Society
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251313665
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author Debjani Chakraborty
Chhavi Garg
author_facet Debjani Chakraborty
Chhavi Garg
author_sort Debjani Chakraborty
collection DOAJ
description This study explores digital privacy perceptions and behaviors among married women in rural India, a rapidly expanding demographic of mobile media and Internet users in the Global South. This ethnographic study found that women’s experience of privacy entails balancing between norms related to “hide” and “having nothing to hide.” Specifically, conflicting practices of avoiding online visibility while sharing passwords and accounts with family members exist to conform to their expected gender performance. The study highlights the dual nature of privacy practices that relate to the horizontal dimensions of privacy among the study participants. Limited digital literacy levels affect their perception of privacy, with vertical dimensions absent from the discussions.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2056-3051
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spelling doaj-art-77e02003c6634f23b98dce662cb885652025-01-18T10:03:30ZengSAGE PublishingSocial Media + Society2056-30512025-01-011110.1177/20563051251313665“(Virtuous) Wives Don’t Have Anything to Hide”: Understanding Digital Privacy Perceptions and Behavior of Married Women in Rural IndiaDebjani ChakrabortyChhavi GargThis study explores digital privacy perceptions and behaviors among married women in rural India, a rapidly expanding demographic of mobile media and Internet users in the Global South. This ethnographic study found that women’s experience of privacy entails balancing between norms related to “hide” and “having nothing to hide.” Specifically, conflicting practices of avoiding online visibility while sharing passwords and accounts with family members exist to conform to their expected gender performance. The study highlights the dual nature of privacy practices that relate to the horizontal dimensions of privacy among the study participants. Limited digital literacy levels affect their perception of privacy, with vertical dimensions absent from the discussions.https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251313665
spellingShingle Debjani Chakraborty
Chhavi Garg
“(Virtuous) Wives Don’t Have Anything to Hide”: Understanding Digital Privacy Perceptions and Behavior of Married Women in Rural India
Social Media + Society
title “(Virtuous) Wives Don’t Have Anything to Hide”: Understanding Digital Privacy Perceptions and Behavior of Married Women in Rural India
title_full “(Virtuous) Wives Don’t Have Anything to Hide”: Understanding Digital Privacy Perceptions and Behavior of Married Women in Rural India
title_fullStr “(Virtuous) Wives Don’t Have Anything to Hide”: Understanding Digital Privacy Perceptions and Behavior of Married Women in Rural India
title_full_unstemmed “(Virtuous) Wives Don’t Have Anything to Hide”: Understanding Digital Privacy Perceptions and Behavior of Married Women in Rural India
title_short “(Virtuous) Wives Don’t Have Anything to Hide”: Understanding Digital Privacy Perceptions and Behavior of Married Women in Rural India
title_sort virtuous wives don t have anything to hide understanding digital privacy perceptions and behavior of married women in rural india
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251313665
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