@conference {2107, title = {The Beauty of Ugliness: Preserving while Communicating Online with Shared Graphic Photos}, booktitle = {European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work}, year = {2018}, publisher = {Springer }, organization = {Springer }, address = {Nancy, France }, abstract = {In this paper, we report on interviews with 11 Shia content creators who create and share graphic, bloody photos of Tatbeer, a religious ritual involving self-harm practices on Ashura, the death anniversary of the prophet Muhammad{\textquoteright}s grandson. We show how graphic images serve as an object of communication in religious practices with the local community, the inner-self, and a wider audience. In particular, we highlight how content creators appropriated, in their own words, {\textquotedblleft}ugly{\textquotedblright} photos to preserve the authenticity and beauty of their rituals while communicating their own interpretation of such rituals to others. We suggest that ugliness may be regarded as a useful resource to inform systems that seek to invite dialogue with marginalized or minority groups.}, keywords = {Graphic Photos, Gulf Arabs, Online photo sharing, social media}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10606-018-9331-3$\#$citeas}, author = {Alshehri, M and Su, N.M} }