[ecrea] Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research 11.1 published

Intellect is delighted to announce that the Journal of Arab & Muslim
Media Research 11.1 is now available! For full issue information,
click here >> https://bit.ly/2Iwr2Lu

Aims & Scope:

The emergence of satellite TV, the internet and digital technology
have dramatically changed the way audiences receive information and
interact with the media. The sudden success of Al-Jazeera and other
Arab broadcasters have altered the way the Arab world narrates itself
and reports news from the region to the rest of the world. The journal
aims to lead the debate about these emerging rapid changes in media
and society in Arab and Muslim parts of the world. All articles are
double-blind peer-reviewed in order to maintain the highest standards
of scholastic integrity.

Content

The Arab Spring: Beyond media effects

Authors: Mohammed Al-Azdee And Emily Metzgar
Page Start: 3

We put primary and secondary data associated with members of the Arab
League into a regression model to derive what we call the ‘Arab Spring
Equation’. This formula indicates that international news coverage
during the upheaval constituted a reliable index of protest intensity,
a criterion consistent with the predictive power of sociopolitical and
socio-economic indicators, but not indicators of communication
technologies. Variables considered in the analysis included level of
democratic development; level of corruption; degree of press freedom;
rate of unemployment; rate of population growth; per capita gross
domestic product (GDP); percentage of population living in poverty;
rate of inflation; literacy rate; number of Internet users; number of
mobile phone users; Internet penetration rate; military expenditure as
percentage of GDP; and type of political rule. Results point to
explanations related to the role of media in the Arab Spring beyond
those attributed to the advent of communication technologies.

The impact of educated users’ interactions on social media (Facebook)
in the Arab world

Authors: Abdul-Karim Ziani And Mokhtar Elareshi
Page Start: 25

The use of Facebook (FB) is becoming ubiquitous among Arab online
users, including Arab youths in higher education. This article
investigates the perceptions of an FB group called Open Media Library
(OML) regarding FB use in academia and education. It examines the
extent to which motivation and trust drives members to use FB in
academia and education. The study analyses their attitudes, their
preferred topics and the gratification they receive from using FB, as
well as whether they trust the information on FB. A total of 374 FB
users, aged 18 and over, from nine Arab countries were surveyed. As
stated in the literature, this article confirms that FB is mainly used
for communication, collaboration, resource-sharing, intercultural
communication and relationships. Communication and experience, the
identification of news and events, maintaining friendships,
entertainment, curiosity and escape were the motivating factors cited
by most respondents for using FB in academia and education. Despite
the popularity of FB, respondents still do not trust information on
FB. The predictors of FB use include: education; exchange of views
with others; and communication with family and friends.

Egypt’s watchdogs: Citizen journalism before, during and after the
2011 revolution

Authors: Rana Hassan
Page Start: 45

The use of Facebook (FB) is becoming ubiquitous among Arab online
users, including Arab youths in higher education. This article
investigates the perceptions of an FB group called Open Media Library
(OML) regarding FB use in academia and education. It examines the
extent to which motivation and trust drives members to use FB in
academia and education. The study analyses their attitudes, their
preferred topics and the gratification they receive from using FB, as
well as whether they trust the information on FB. A total of 374 FB
users, aged 18 and over, from nine Arab countries were surveyed. As
stated in the literature, this article confirms that FB is mainly used
for communication, collaboration, resource-sharing, intercultural
communication and relationships. Communication and experience, the
identification of news and events, maintaining friendships,
entertainment, curiosity and escape were the motivating factors cited
by most respondents for using FB in academia and education. Despite
the popularity of FB, respondents still do not trust information on
FB. The predictors of FB use include: education; exchange of views
with others; and communication with family and friends.

Representations of Syrian refugees in the British tabloid press: An
illustration of Aylan Kurdi’s tragic event

Authors: Irfan Raja And Nasser N. Alotaibi
Page Start: 61

Ever since the Syrian crisis broke out, the media representation of
the Syrian refugees fleeing political persecution, war and
malnourishment has become a central focus of political debates and
academic inquiry. Since 2011, the British press reporting of refugees
has been mostly problematic, although occasionally it does reflect a
diminutive evidence of sympathy. This article aims to analyse the
representations of Syrian refugees in the British tabloid press
particularity in the wake of Aylan Kurdi’s tragic death. The Framing
Analysis approach has been applied on a corpus of 40 articles
including features, news reports, editorials and comments pieces from
The Sun and Daily Mirror that are of dissimilar political orientation.
Initial findings show that the concept of ‘humanity’ is the most
distinguished British value supported and endorsed by The Sun and
Daily Mirror. At the same time, both tabloids ignored the notorious
role of the British government in escalating the Syrian conflict,
which resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians and
the destruction of a country. Given the circumstances of the little
boy’s death, this article supports the contention that news is a
‘constructed reality’ that is a product of various social, political
and cultural factors including deviant circumstances. This study
argues that certain events often receive more media attention than
others, whilst many events of a similar nature are mostly ignored.

Personal characteristics of Islamic matrimonial website users in Saudi
Arabia: An empirical study

Authors: Ayman Bajnaid And Mokhtar Elareshi
Page Start: 83

Engaging in friendships/romantic relationships with the opposite
gender in Saudi Arabia is forbidden prior to marriage according to
Islam. As a result, Saudis are increasingly turning to unconventional
mediums to find a spouse. However, little research has been conducted
regarding Saudi courtship (online dating). This study examines the
cultural scripts of matrimonial websites, including the impressions
users intended to convey when constructing their profiles and the
characteristics they sought in potential spouses. A sample of 111
matrimonial personal profiles was content-analysed based on
hyper-personal and sexual-strategy theories. Similarities were found
between Saudi and western users’ approach to searching for a potential
mate on such websites, and social and religious norms were found to
affect users’ behaviours and decisions when using such websites.
In-depth description of the cultural scripts of Islamic matrimonial
websites is provided. Findings are discussed in relation to
computer-mediated communication (CMC), which focuses on whether online
profile settings allow for the provision of rich information to users
about other users (of the opposite sex).


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