The Effects of Multimedia on Cultural Change in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example

The native language of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Arabic, and is thus, the primary medium of oral and written communication. The Arabic language also “reflects and preserves the culture and customs of the desert society of Arabia that evolved long before the introduction of Islam” (Long, 2005, p. 82). Long (2005) maintained that Arabic is more than a liturgical language, but a living language echoing the culture of its people, then and now. Kendall (2011), however, believes that generally, cultures do not remain static.

Forces are constantly at work which results either in gradual or abrupt cultural changes. There is reason to believe that like other cultures of the world, Saudi Arabia may not be immune to cultural changes. The computer and the Internet are believed to be responsible for the popularity of multimedia among people globally. Such popularity is believed to be a significant influence on how multimedia changes the lives of people in any society. Even Saudi Arabia, which according to Cordesman (2009) is generally regarded as a very conservative society then and now, did not remain unaffected by the changes brought about by multimedia.

Based on a number of information technology statistics, Saudi Arabia posted 11.4 million Internet users from a population of 26,131,703, for an approximate Internet penetration of 43.6%. As of March, 2011, there are 4,092,600 Facebook accounts by Saudi Arabian nationals. Saudi Arabia posted higher Internet penetration rate than seven other Middle East nations, namely: Iran (42.6%); Kuwait (42.6%); Jordan (26.8%); Lebanon (26.4%); Syria (19.8%); Yemen (9.7%) and Iraq (1.1%) (Internet World Stats, 2011).

Aims of the Proposed Study The study is being proposed to examine how multimedia has influenced cultural change in the Kingdom, aided by the computer and the Internet. Specifically, the aims of the study are: (1) describe the profile of the respondents in terms of gender, age, educational attainment, occupation and place of residence: (2) identify the types of multimedia equipment the respondents consider as indispensable for their activities at home in the office and in school: (3) measure the extent to which different forms of multimedia affect the people of Saudi Arabia as social beings; (4) explain how the culture of Saudi Arabia changed as a result of the introduction of various forms of multimedia and assess whether the respondents are amenable to these cultural changes; (5) describe how multimedia have an effect in the cultural changes which has occurred in Saudi Arabia in the last decade; (6) verify significant differences in the perspective of the respondents about the cultural changes when they are grouped according to the profile variables considered in the study.

Methodology The study will involve 385 respondents selected using a web-based sample size calculator based on the following parameters: (1) a margin of error of 5%; (2) a confidence level of 95%; (3) a population size of 26,131,703; and (4) a response distribution of 50% (Raosoft, 2004). Respondents will be selected using purposive sampling. A survey questionnaire will serve as the main data gathering instrument. The questionnaire will be pilot tested among 20 respondents and the same will be subjected to content and face validation and reliability analysis.

Data gathering will be carried out using a technology-mediated questionnaire