The Effect of Online Community on Offline Community in Saudi Arabia

Abstract There is a radical transformation taking place in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are poised on the edge of a significant new social landscape. Called the Internet, this new frontier includes not only the creation of new forms of private communication, like electronic mail and chat, but also online public discussion areas, which for the first time enable communication between males and females in this gender‐segregated society. This paper has been written as a result of a study conducted in Saudi Arabia during 2001 – 2002. The purpose of the study was to understand how online communities in Saudi Arabia are affecting offline communities. The results of the study indicate that participants, in addition to gaining self‐confidence, became open‐minded in their thinking, more aware of the personal characteristics of individuals within their society and less inhibited about the opposite gender. On the negative side, participants neglected their family commitments, became less shy and some became confused about some aspects of their culture and religion. After a brief introduction about the Internet in Saudi Arabia and its culture, the paper examines online communities in the literature. It then discusses the conceptual and methodological aspects of the study. This includes how data were collected and analysed. A discussion of the results of the study follows. Next, an examination of the findings in relation to the literature is provided. Finally, the conclusions drawn from this study are presented.