Greetings from Kuwait! This weekend, I am leaving Saudi Arabia where I have lived and worked for the last 14 months and returning ‘home’ to Panama. I specifically referred to my time in Saudi to create this map; I know my Web presence in Panama will be quite different.
Despite being a private person, this task has made me realize the extent to which I use the Web as a ‘Resident’ to share information with my family, friends, and colleagues about life and work. I regularly use the Web as “a place in which relationships can be formed and extended” (White & LeCornu, 2011) as most of my friends, family and colleagues – even my husband – live in different countries from me at the moment. Many of my friends and colleagues live similar lifestyles as global citizens. I am curious how many of us chose this lifestyle because we are comfortable being Web ‘Residents’, using the Web as an extension of our offline relationships, and how many remain ‘Visitors’ or perhaps reluctant ‘Residents’ (and, if so, to what extent) to maintain offline relationships.
White, David S., and LeCornu, A. (2011). “Visitors and residents: A new typology for online engagement.” First Monday. 16(9). doi:10.5210/fm.v16i9.3171.