THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE PEOPLE'S PERCEPTION OF WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT IN QATAR

Abstract

The digital revolution and the dominance of social media platforms have provided an opportunity for women's empowerment. As these platforms make information access easier and offer venues for expressing social, political and economic concerns, they hold promise as tools for furthering women's empowerment. While women are progressively marking their presence in economic, social, and political dimensions, the role of social media in this transformation is ambiguous. Does it function as a catalyst, challenging traditional norms and stereotypes, or does it further entrench pre-existing societal views? This study aims to elucidate the intricate between social media and it's impact on people in Qatar. The main question of the research is what is the impact of social media on people's perception about women's empowerment (inluding Qatari and Non-Qatari) in Qatar. Social media can influence society's perceptions of women's empowerment in a variety of ways. Firstly, it can increase knowledge and awareness levels through information sharing. Secondly, it can contribute to women's empowerment by highlighting successful female figures and creating content about gender equality. This study adopted a mixed-method research approach, including variables such as education level, age and the duration of social media usage, in order to understand the impact of social media and the role of different demographic factors on this impact. Initially, a quantitative survey was administered to a stratified sample of Qatari and Non-Qatari, gauging their engagement with social media and their perceptions of women's empowerment. This was complemented by semi structured-open ended questions, aiming to unearth nuanced insights and personal narratives. While quantitative findings directly revealed the effect of social media on different variables, qualitative findings helped understand the reasons for this effect. The findings of this research delineate a multifaceted influence of social media platforms on women's empowerment in Qatar, with an emphasis on the economic, social, and political dimensions. Notably, these platforms are identified as paramount in amplifying women's voices and facilitating access to pivotal information. The economic aspect of women's empowerment prominently stands out as being significantly influenced by social media, underscoring these platforms' instrumental role in catalyzing women's economic progress. An analysis of various platforms revealed Instagram as the most favored, while Facebook users displayed an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards all dimensions, especially the economic dimension. The qualitative data reaffirms the quantitative results, emphasizing the economic empowerment facilitated by social media. The influence of social media on women's empowerment appears to vary across platforms and is heavily influenced by users' demographic attributes. This study contributes to the literature by examining in depth the potential of social media platforms to transform societies and their impact on perceptions of women's empowerment, especially in Qatar. If social media can influence people's perceptions of women's role in society, these platforms can be used to promote women's empowerment and advance gender equality. In addition, the qualitative data of this study provide important information about the content that attracts users' attention and with which they frequently interact. Consequently, understanding the role of social media in promoting social change allows the development of strategies on how these platforms can be effectively used for social transformation.