Assessment of the impact of social media on Arab youth

Abstract EN

Few studies have examined the impact of social media from the perspective of young Arab people.

This study examines how university students in Saudi Arabia and Egypt perceive the effects of social media in three domains: psychological functioning; cultural values and thought processes; and morality and politics.

Data collected through a questionnaire were gathered from a sample of 200 university students enrolled in both practical and theoretical university programs in both countries; more specifically, the sample was comprised of 100 female and 100 male students from six universities in Saudi Arabia (100 students) and Egypt (100 students).

Students opinions are evenly divided about whether they believe that social media leads to negative outcomes for psychological functioning and culture/thought.

In terms of morality and politics, Saudi youth believe that there are more negative outcomes than do Egyptian youth, and female Egyptian students believe that there are more negative moral and political outcomes than do their male counterparts.

The implications of this study highlight the need for further analysis of the impact of social media on university students perceptions and actions.