Impression management in high context societies: 'Saving face' with ICT

High context societies are defined by their strong interpersonal relationships, where upholding the shared values of the community, writ large, are of the utmost importance. That is, they prioritize collective identity over individual identity. Through a qualitative case study drawing from a set of 90 semi-structured interviews with Iraqi citizens who were living in Iraq during the 2nd Gulf War, we show how through ICT uses and appropriation, people shape, or influence, social complexities within high context societies. We found that people appropriated ICTs in a way such that they could "save face" and manage other people's impressions of themselves and, in turn, maintain a positive collective identity. We then explore the use and appropriation of ICTs for impression management in high context societies as a complex process-one that is both social and technical-introduce the notion of technological imperialism, and develop a model of face saving practices that takes collective identity into account.