Arab Americans' Motives for Using the Internet as a Functional Media Alternative and Their Perceptions of U.S. Public Opinion

This exploratory study employed uses and gratifications theory to understand Arab Americans’ salient motives for using the internet and whether the internet served as a functional alternative to other media to satisfy Arab Americans’ information-seeking and interpersonal needs. Spiral of silence theory also was used to investigate the relationship between Arab Americans’ perceptions of U.S. public opinion and their motives for using the internet. Results from an online questionnaire survey (N= 124) indicated that information seeking was the most salient motive for using the internet and that the internet did serve as a functional alternative, with a significant percentage of the internet sources used being foreign based. There was, however, no relationship between Arab Americans’ perceptions of U.S. public opinion and their motives for using the internet. The findings are discussed with respect to the use of the internet by members of this marginalized cultural group.