Can Social Media Empower Women and Redefine Male Domination - Essay Example

Running Header: Can Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter empower women and redefine male domination to become female and male equal control? Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Name & Code: Date of Submission: Abstract This research work asks, “Can social media such as Facebook and Twitter empower women and redefine male domination to become female and male equal control?” Social media is recently one of the most influential ways of spreading information across the nations. This is because it has established itself as a leading source of information and has some of the highest number of followers and users. The media has received worldwide attention for its techniques in promotions, creating awareness and giving information on controversial topics. The objectives of the study were to establish the role of social media to the society, to establish the forces used in women empowerment and to establish how social media has influenced the society in empowering women and redefining male domination. The method used in this research study was focused groups. Four groups of six were formed and discussed the topic above. The findings of the study showed that indeed social media have influenced changes in the society and more so in UAE. In conclusion, the voice of people and especially those undermined in the society is now being heard and has empowered women in the society. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Literature Review 4 Introduction 4 Development of social media 4 Role of social media to the society 5 Women empowerment 8 Research Questions/Hypotheses 9 Methods/Study Design and instrument 9 Social media credibility 12 Conclusion 14 References 15 Literature Review Introduction The recent popularity of various social media such as Facebook and Twitter and their influence in Middle East, has raised the need to understand the Medias’ background and their contents. Facebook and Twitter are new links that have recently transformed social media in a region where there is a high rate of illiteracy and oral communication which is vital to the culture of UAE countries. The research question in this study is to give the background knowledge of the influence of the social media in the region and how it has contributed to improved marketing. To begin with, it is necessary to know about the history of the various social media as this will fully comprehend the various functions they perform. Development of social media Research indicates that the lines between work and home life have quickly become blurred and social networks are prepared to keep up. Social networks have introduced ways of interacting with one another and therefore taking people to somewhere they never imagined though it is necessary to deal with the fading boundaries that the tools have left which means that the social rules will have to be rewritten. The social networking services have expanded the pool of people where they have the opportunity of meeting various kinds of people who with different ideas and opinions. The society is therefore not restricted to rely on people within the neighbourhood, church or workplace to provide interaction. Benkler (2006) describes that the new concept is getting to know other people online which reflects back to the days of Bulletin Board Services (BBS), IRC and CompuServe. The difference between social networking and these services is that in social media people communicate via instant messaging for example through facebook walls and twitter replies. More closely, social media mimic face to face communication and it is more efficient than email, forums or message boards (Shirky, 2008). Role of social media to the society According to Shirky (2008) the way people access media in today’s world has changed dramatically over the past 20 years as people can access the latest information any time an event occurs. The internet has created more demand and has the latest information. This is due to the incredible connective power, vast opportunity and unlocking potential in the society. People’s lives have been transformed as a result of social media. Facebook and Twitter started out as a way of keeping contact with friends and family but now their outreach is phenomenal. Research shows that governments that restrict social media risk being destabilised. This is because the media enables people to be open, more effective and more independent therefore improving the environment and political stability (Dheeraj, 2010). To maintain this, social media has changed the society as it allows people to gather for social interaction as well as expressing themselves in a simple and immediate fashion. This has impacted change in the spread of ideas and spread news in a short time which would have taken days and weeks using the earlier methods of communication. Social media has also affected the way people used to do business for example the recent trending topic in online marketing is the increase in social media marketing. Most companies have been influenced to engage themselves in various social media channels. Dheeraj (2010) puts it that if well planned it can be one of the cheapest and effective mode of online marketing and promotion of organisational products but if not well planned it can get a company into a disaster. The reason why companies need to turn around social media is due to certain reasons which include company profile, its products, customers etc (Li and Bernoff, 2008).  Social media marketing involves a practice where organisations follow to connect with their target markets. It is an integrated marketing communications that coordinates various promotional elements such as advertising, personal selling, publicity, sales promotion and direct marketing. The growth of social media has a great impact in the way organisations communicate to its customers especially with the emergence of Web 2.0 which is a tool that allows people and organisations to build social and business connections. This increased communication fosters brand awareness and improves customer service. Social media is a platform that is easily accessible to any person who has access to internet for example with emergence of channels such as Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and blogs. These sites promote products on an individual level and the uses of products are explained in short messages where the messages have a link to the product’s websites. Scoble and Israel (2006) describes that this link gives followers an opportunity to spend more time therefore offering advertising opportunities for example the integration of Sporting News website increased visits by over 500 percent. Social media benefits companies and people through the provision of channels that support customer as they act as a means to gain a competitive insight, recruitment, retention on new customers and it is also a method of building reputation online. Day by day, the importance of social media marketing increase in all companies and the five major important reasons include branding where most companies use social media channels in order to increase their goodwill and trustworthiness therefore resulting to better branding. Conversations with customers through social channels create a great amount of credibility among a company’s customers unlike in the traditional media types such as television where customers lack trustworthiness of the company. Scoble and Israel (2006) explains that social media allows companies to easily engage with its clients as this is important as it helps to retain the existing customers and increase brand credibility. Customers are able to communicate with companies and express their opinions about certain brands therefore enabling companies to provide products according to the needs of their clients and according to their requirements. It also generates relevant traffic as the sole purpose of all online marketing campaigns in for traffic generation. Social media sites are also necessary to the society as they generate relevant and quality traffic to the websites. Customers are therefore able to engage much easier and receive feedback about the company. Finally, the adoption of new products and services creates awareness about an existing product or service in the market. This is the cheapest and better method of informing target audience about the trends in the market therefore enhancing company’s products and improving return on investment unlike in the traditional methods of advertising. Benkler (2006) shows one major event that was influenced by the social media is the 2008 presidential campaign where Democratic candidate, Barrack Obama was so much visible in Twitter and Facebook sites. His profile page was frequently being updated and he was able to interact with his followers as he asked for votes and this gave followers insight and it also builds trustworthiness and loyalty. Social media is therefore the hottest media format in the UAE market as its effectiveness is much better due to the use of Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and Blogs. As compared to the traditional media types such as television, newspapers and radio, social media emerges the best mode of communication about company’s products. This is because social media is more advanced and with the recent growth of internet users, it able to reach more target customers through networking sites. Women empowerment According to Joseph (2009) in Europe, there has been the introduction of World Young Women’s Christian Association which is a global network that is leading social and economic change in about 125 countries. This association advocates for peace, justice, human dignity and freedom. It also cares for the environment and is at the forefront of raising women status. The association operates around three main goals which include leadership development, advocacy and services around issues of violence against women and economic empowerment of women and good governance and accountability. Once YWCA introduced the association to the fantastic world of social media it made it more user-friendly and interactive. This was through creating their Twitter handle and You Tube channel as well as Facebook page. This was to show case the work of the association to link up with the world in an entire way. The social media enabled users to reach out to other people in an interactive way and to share information more easily. It also enabled participants and especially women to gain visibility in a cost effective way. The social link provides up to date information about young women across the movement setting up private group. In Dubai, for example social media provides a platform for women to express themselves. Social networking enables people to understand to importance of having women in the society. Net working also encourages pupils to engage with technology. The commentator in Arab affairs however warns people not to add anyone into their friends list without knowing who they are (Joseph, 2009). Rania (2011) shows the young Arab leader is an active member of Twitter with over 65,000 followers. There are forums in the social media that encourage Emirati girls to enroll in science, technology, engineering and maths programmes in school which were some of the courses enrolled for men only. The UAE is one among the top 10 countries in the world with a bigger percent in the use of Facebook. The use accounts for more than 45 percent of the population having an account. However, this virtual world is said to have real effects to the society for example people bullying each other which have psychological effects. The sheikh warns people to be honest and to protect their privacy and that of others while using social media. The role of Emirati’s woman has been backed up by UAE’s leadership through introduction of various policies that have been increased the female participation. Women participating in both private and public sector are a step towards boosting the economy. Research Questions/Hypotheses Can social media such as Facebook and Twitter empower women and redefine male domination to become female and male equal control? The objective of this research is to examine the importance of social media in empowering women. The other objective is to show how social media has redefined male domination making female and male to be equal. Methods/Study Design and instrument The research method used was through focused group which is a form of qualitative research analysis. This method was used because it is effective in eliciting data regarding cultural norms of a group and it is also capable of giving broad overviews about issues of concern to cultural groups represented. In this group people were asked about their perception, opinions and attitudes towards the use of social media and its influence to the society especially in changing traditional believes of male domination. This method used in Abu Dhabi in UAE to show how social media had influenced the society. The role of focused groups is to discover what users want from a system for example how people benefit from social media. All the group members participated in the discussion and analysis was conducted where a report was written. Four focused groups were chosen each consisting of six members. There were representatives in the groups to ensure a flowing discussion and to give various perspectives. Focus groups however are not the best appropriate tools to use in data collection since it gives imperfect and inferior data though they generate rapid information. Population of the study The recruitment was carried out by determining the type and the number of data collection activities. This is carried out through consultation with local leaders, officials and the principal investigator. The characteristics of the study population is also analysed to choose the right participants. The participants chosen were placed in groups of six and allowed to discuss the topic in order to come up with a greater view. Data collection The data to be collected in this topic is whether social media such as Facebook and Twitter can empower women and redefine male domination to become female and male equal control. This research develops the answer through textual programs and contents that have contributed to the use of social media in UAE. Some of the components that contribute to its popularity include social media credibility, popularity and how social media has influenced its users. Findings The information generated from the focused groups was analysed and showed how men domination had been affected by the influence of social media. This is after the realization that women are active partners in development just like men are and it is therefore necessary to involve them in decision making processes. Powell et al. (2009) describes that this is where women have taken about 66 percent of public jobs where 30 percent of them are leading decision makers. Women have also taken about 15 percent teaching jobs in UAE University and 60 percent in technical posts such as pharmacy, medicine and nursing. Others are also enrolled in armed forces and police. The latest statistics show that almost half of the pupils registered in over 1,250 schools are girls and therefore 75 percent of students in UAE University are women. This makes a conclusion that in every five students, three of them are women and this shows women domination which shows that it is an opportunity to go ahead and push for a place in the society (Benkler, 2006).  Despite the fact that a good number of Emirati women are handling top positions in government organisations, the private sector is still reluctant and does not believe in the capability of a woman in increasing productivity and profitability. This generates a kind of awareness about the importance of women’s participation since some families still hold on to the old perception of not allowing their girls to work or study in the same place with men. Rania (2011) puts it that the economic development in UAE and the high rise building are easily noticed but people need more time to change their mentality in believing in women’s ability for example in running a business or a company, her career, principles, traditions and values. It is also a personal belief that people should stop talking about women empowerment but implement the activities in real life. On the regional level, women were proved as major players in the local market therefore forming a remarkable contribution to the economy. In the Muslim society for example in UAE women share and participate in all fields on a par with men and therefore men should redefine their roles in the society. According to Powell et al. (2011) over the past years, the contribution of women to the political arena has greatly improved. This is for example the impressive role played by women in FNC elections in 2006 which socially indicated a progress in UAE. Throughout the election process, women demonstrated their ability to be involved into the national political arena and compete equally with men whose name and reputation in the society had been recognised. The UAE women can now take part in the cultural, political and interactive debates. They can also hold election campaigns which demonstrate their awareness of the important issues facing the region. The women parliamentarians are today active contributors to council meetings and this paves way for future contestants who will undoubtedly see greater electoral success in building individual public profiles. Though more changes are to happen in future, the government’s will and support in ensuring that women play a major role in development and progress of UAE for example in contributing to the national policy strongly demonstrate the country’s experience. Social media credibility According to Gentle (2009) social media comprise of three C’s which include credibility, connecting and communicating. Credibility involves focusing on how to build a personal brand online whether corporate or direct. It also shows the niche topic for example in creating a product that helps to empower women. The analysis of the focused groups showed that the more clearly the topic, the more conference organizers and readers will respond through comments or attendance. It is also effective to create an online home in order to focus on relevant topics to the niche. Most social media participants aim at connecting to the internet based application in order to build ideological foundations which allows for exchange of user generated content. Social media have contributed to the Arab revolution and revolts of 2011 for example one user put it that Facebook is used to schedule the protests; Twitter to coordinate them and You Tube is used to tell the world. However, this kind of change is facilitated through various methods due to its inexpensive and accessible characteristics. One major characteristic shared by both social media and industrial media is the capacity to reach global audience. This is because they are more decentralised and less hierarchical. Social media therefore advocated for equal rights to be given to both men and women since they ate both citizens. Johnson (2005) shows this equality of rights should not be confused with an identity of functions that every gender performs or it should not show how women are perceived to be weak in the society. Though men and women are inborn traits which would seem to dispose them to different tasks, the difference should not be exaggerated. Underneath prejudices that are imposed by culture, there is always a hard substratum of constitutional variance which shows that men seem to be better prepared in taking up aggressive tasks. According to Kaplan and Michael (2010) men domination in the society is defined by having a body that is can better adapt to hard physical work due to their broad shoulders. This is because in humans, the central and massive body is formed by the chest which comprise of shoulders and strong arms which are stronger in men as compared to women. The disposition towards aggressive tasks therefore makes man rather than a woman to be a likely candidate for leadership in the society. The supremacy of man over a woman may be due to the increasing need for physical strength and gaining power in both economic and political leadership. Alicia (2011) shows networking and mentoring group has therefore been set up to help women in Middle East which is a male centered society. Dubai for example being more liberal, men have dominated most functions and this has therefore introduced an association of Women in Property (WiP) which was set up to target women in construction and property in UAE. Conclusion Regardless of whether social media receives positive and negative attention all over the world, it is undeniable that it is a popular way of networking with friends and family. It is also an effective and cheapest mode of creating awareness, spreading news faster and also communicating an issue to a great number of people. It is also considered reliable and trustworthy by most users and more so businesses that use social media in promotions and creating awareness of their new products in the market. It also acts as a vehicle to open discussions of various subjects relating to politics, religious and cultural issues. Through posting variety of new content in form of debates and reports, social media will continue to develop trustworthy and credibility among users. Social media has incorporated with other broadcasting sources such as BBC and CNN for easier and faster spread of information across nations. 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