Online versus Offline World: A Thematic Analysis of Arab Women’s Empowerment via Social Media

Abstract

This research study examines Arab women experiences of being empowered by existing in the virtual world. The aim of the study is to establish paper that discuses if female users of Twitter in Arab countries believe that the religious and cultural restrictions of Arabs state institutions are circumvented by the Internet. The study is questioning the Arab female experiences and feelings if and when she bypasses the restrictions, that she is associate with as being Arab, to make herself existing online and how does this reflect on her in the real world. The investigation is carried out by conducting semi-structured interviews, targeting to collect qualitative data only. To achieve the aims of the study, the sample consists of seven females from different countries who all use Twitter. The study showed that there is a gap between the action of Arab women online and offline which is due to prompting of social and political empowerment. Keywords: Arab women, empowerment, media, virtual world