Towards a new relationship: The construction of the marital couple through Facebook groups and its energetic impact on the environment

Hassan II University of Casablanca, Research center for Socio-anthropological Differentiations and Social Identities (LADSIS), Casablanca, Morocco.

Abstract

Facebook groups constitute a new area dedicated to marriage, providing a new space for encounters and first contact, in addition to the existing ones. Our approach was based on qualitative semi-structured interviews and virtual ethnography through participatory observation of two Facebook groups. This research allowed us to identify the different ways in which people meet within a Facebook group, and to highlight a key aspect of these groups: the shared intimacy of a couple’s life. In addition, it has exposed the increased energy consumption associated with the use of digital social networks. The purpose of this paper is to explore how Facebook groups can be a marriage platform for young people today, at the expense of the high energy consumption associated with intensive use of the platform.