Page 78 - Cyberculture and New Media

On the Way to the Cyber-Arab-Culture:
International Communication, Telecommunications Policies,
and Democracy

Mahmoud Eid

Abstract
Cyberspace is the most significant technological development of the
late twentieth century. Yet it is inseparable from its cultural context. Hence
the creation and continued evolution of cyberculture, developed through
social interaction in the electronic environment of cyberspace. This chapter
describes Cyber-Arab-Culture as one example of a newly emerging
cyberculture, produced through the interactive processes of globalization,
democratization, privatization, digitization, and Arabization. Globalization of
media markets, digitization, and new media have led to an unprecedented
democratization of international communication. Democratization is a
gradual, ongoing process in Arab countries, with various requirements still to
be achieved. Telecommunications policies have accomplished significant
economic development in the region, most notably the privatization of
administration, manufacturing, and service delivery. New media have
influenced the region, and particularly its culture, through increasing access
by the Arab public to international media content. Arabization of new media
content has been a major goal in the region. Cyber-Arab-Culture is expected
to facilitate the spread of Arab cultural values on the Internet; however, there
have been anti-Cyber-Arab-Culture practices that impede the evolution of
this new cyberculture. Arabs are encouraged to continue to develop and
enhance Cyber-Arab-Culture, relying on their own widespread cultural
patterns: primarily their basic cultural values, language, and verbal
communication patterns.

Key Words: Cyberculture, Cyber-Arab-Culture, Arab World,
International Communication, Globalization, Democratization,
Telecommunications Policies, Privatization, Digitization, Arabization.

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1. Introduction: Cyberspace and Cyberculture
There have been several waves of change in information and
communication technology that have influenced the lives of post-industrial
societies. These include the spread of the personal computer, the fax,
multimedia, the laptop, the personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular
communication, satellite communications, fiber optics, the Internet, artificial