Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment

As Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), such as the internet and mobile phones, facilitate the spread of knowledge and interactions across borders in previously unimagined ways, questions are being asked about whether the benefits of this digitization process are equally distributed bet...

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محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Al-Sumait, Fahed (author)
مؤلفون آخرون: Helsper, Ellen J. (author), Rahali, Miriam (author)
منشور في: 2024
الوصول للمادة أونلاين:http://hdl.handle.net/11675/12137
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162933564&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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author Al-Sumait, Fahed
author2 Helsper, Ellen J.
Rahali, Miriam
author2_role author
author
author_facet Al-Sumait, Fahed
Helsper, Ellen J.
Rahali, Miriam
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Al-Sumait, Fahed
Helsper, Ellen J.
Rahali, Miriam
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2024-06-01
2025-03-10T09:08:51Z
2025-03-10T09:08:51Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1177/13548565231174594
http://hdl.handle.net/11675/12137
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162933564&partnerID=8YFLogxK
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv SAGE Publications Inc.
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Communication and Media
Convergence
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Journal Article
Peer-reviewed
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
description As Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), such as the internet and mobile phones, facilitate the spread of knowledge and interactions across borders in previously unimagined ways, questions are being asked about whether the benefits of this digitization process are equally distributed between and within countries. Motivated by the way technology adoption and usage patterns may differ in the Arab Middle East, this paper examines how the Kuwaiti context shapes people’s understanding of a survey instrument used for evaluating digital inequalities, as they relate to access, skills and engagement, and outcomes of ICT use. Specifically, it discusses the adaptation and validation of the survey measures of socio-digital inequalities through a process of cognitive interviewing and provides insight into the theoretical and empirical linkages between cultural conceptions of digital and traditional inequalities in ways that explore both their universal and contextual aspects, or denotative and connotative meanings. Evidence suggests that important cross-cultural complications relate to language issues, socio-economic conditions, citizenship, and differing perceptions of social desirability. These findings offer important considerations for improving the reliability and validity of future survey-scale adaptations in the broader MENA region, especially in countries containing significant multicultural populations. Simultaneously, they call into question the extent to which global conceptualizations of digital inequalities and their measures reflect complex local realities.
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network_acronym_str AUKR
network_name_str AU Kuwait Rep
oai_identifier_str oai:dspace.auk.edu.kw:11675/12137
publishDate 2024
publisher.none.fl_str_mv SAGE Publications Inc.
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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spelling Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environmentAl-Sumait, FahedHelsper, Ellen J.Rahali, MiriamAs Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), such as the internet and mobile phones, facilitate the spread of knowledge and interactions across borders in previously unimagined ways, questions are being asked about whether the benefits of this digitization process are equally distributed between and within countries. Motivated by the way technology adoption and usage patterns may differ in the Arab Middle East, this paper examines how the Kuwaiti context shapes people’s understanding of a survey instrument used for evaluating digital inequalities, as they relate to access, skills and engagement, and outcomes of ICT use. Specifically, it discusses the adaptation and validation of the survey measures of socio-digital inequalities through a process of cognitive interviewing and provides insight into the theoretical and empirical linkages between cultural conceptions of digital and traditional inequalities in ways that explore both their universal and contextual aspects, or denotative and connotative meanings. Evidence suggests that important cross-cultural complications relate to language issues, socio-economic conditions, citizenship, and differing perceptions of social desirability. These findings offer important considerations for improving the reliability and validity of future survey-scale adaptations in the broader MENA region, especially in countries containing significant multicultural populations. Simultaneously, they call into question the extent to which global conceptualizations of digital inequalities and their measures reflect complex local realities.SAGE Publications Inc.2025-03-10T09:08:51Z2025-03-10T09:08:51Z2024-06-01Journal ArticlePeer-reviewedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion10.1177/13548565231174594http://hdl.handle.net/11675/12137http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162933564&partnerID=8YFLogxKCommunication and MediaConvergenceoai:dspace.auk.edu.kw:11675/121372025-03-10T09:08:51Z
spellingShingle Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment
Al-Sumait, Fahed
status_str publishedVersion
title Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment
title_full Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment
title_fullStr Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment
title_full_unstemmed Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment
title_short Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment
title_sort Adapting global methodologies to digital inequalities research in a multicultural Arab environment
url http://hdl.handle.net/11675/12137
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162933564&partnerID=8YFLogxK