Habitus in Transition? CMC use and impacts among young women in the United Arab Emirates

This paper considers the impact of computer-mediated communication on the culture of the United Arab Emirates via the results of a brief study. The larger question being asked is if the very culture of the nation might be recast through the use of computer-mediated communication. While my survey was limited and thus the results preliminary, they contradict the view that CMC technologies will inevitably reshape “target” cultures as these technologies impose especially Western cultural values and communication preferences. Rather, my analysis suggests that UAE women students are more directly affected by consumerism as a culture dominating the Internet. More broadly, my students stand as examples of users who can consciously chose what elements of global cultures they wish to appropriate while they simultaneously insist on preserving their own cultural values and practices.