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Cover image: Using smartphones to record the nightly fountain
show in Dubai. © Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Cover design: www.paulsmithdesign.com
EDITEDBYBARRIEGUNTER,
MOKHTARELARESHI
ANDKHALIDAL-JABER
‘This book ... provides an indispensable source for a broader understanding of the
Gulf societies and how they are influenced by social media as well as the recent
political tensions. It is an invaluable read for anyone interested in understanding
digital communications in the GCC region’ Professor Noha Mellor, Creative Arts,
Technologies & Science Faculty, Bedfordshire University
‘... fills a huge gap in the academic literature...’ Professor Mohammed el-Nawawy,
James L. Knight School of Communication, Queens University of Charlotte
‘...Together these chapters offer an invaluable guide to this complex and still-unfolding
episode in world history.’ Roger Dickinson, Reader in Media and Communication,
University of Leicester
Following the ‘Arab Spring’, the use of social media has become instrumental in
organising activist movements and spreading political dissent in the Middle East.
New online behaviours have transformed traditional communication channels,
enabling young people of all backgrounds to feel politically empowered. Social
Media in the Arab World provides a unique insight into the role of online
communications as a force for change in the Gulf States. The chapters examine
shifts in the political, social and religious identities of citizens as a result of
increased digital activism. With contributions from a variety of inter-disciplinary
experts, this wide-ranging study examines the consequences of changing power
dynamics brought about by popular social media. In doing so, this book offers
an original perspective on the significance of internet usage in the Arab world
and is essential reading for students and researchers working across the region.
BARRIE GUNTER is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Media and Communication,
University of Leicester.
MOKHTAR ELARESHI is Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies.
KHALID AL-JABER is Assistant Professor of Political Communications in the Gulf Studies
Programme at Qatar University.
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