Facebook a female obsession

Facebook is more important to female Arab university students than their male counterparts, recent research by professors at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) has revealed.

Female students place importance on experimenting with different identities, getting information and extending their social networks, while male Arab students primarily use Facebook for social networking, the researchers found.

Dr Kathy Shen, assistant professor of business management, and Professor Mohammad Khalifa, academic vice-president at UOWD, surveyed 70 male and female students, to gauge the behaviour of Arab youths on the social networking site Facebook. Their preliminary research paper, ‘Facebook Usage Among Arabic College Students', was recently published in the International Journal of e-Business Management.

"Despite their popularity, research on social networking sites is far behind the practice, particularly research outside Western countries. So it became interesting to explore the usage and impact of these sites among the young generation," said Dr Shen. "Social networking sites such as Facebook have great impacts both on commercial and social life," she added.

The initial study is to provide preliminary evidence to help develop further research questions. Ongoing research is being done by the pair to further understand regional and cultural specifics of social networking site usage for which their proposal has been awarded funding from the Emirates Foundation.

The findings

The survey was intentionally conducted among 70 students from an Islamic background. The aim, said Dr Shen, was to differentiate from most prior social networking site samples from the Western world where value systems differ.

"Our results contribute to the existing literature dominated by Western evidence, by providing a preliminary understanding about Facebook usage among the younger generation in the Arab region and by revealing significant differences between male and female students," said Dr Shen.

The study first identified the most frequent Facebook activities amongst the students and analysis of gender differences revealed that Facebook was more important to female UAE students.

The findings also showed Arab youth, particularly the females, are more influenced by authority than their peers. This contrasts with Western youth who are more influenced by their peers as studies have shown.

Bridging the gender gap

"We also confirmed that Facebook influences the self-perception of UAE students," said Dr Shen.

She added that such particular influences helped transform the stereotype of female students in the UAE.

"What we found was more similarities between the two gender groups, rather than differences," said Dr Shen. "For instance, the female students, like their male counterparts, were ready to welcome new friends and ideas," she added.

"Such findings suggest that Facebook may play an important role in bridging the gender gap and help female students with their self-enhancement."