"The most popular types of social media in the UAE are generally the same as those used in other regions across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. These include social networks (Facebook), video-sharing sites (YouTube), and micro-blogging sites (Twitter), among others. UAE respondents were b ... oth generally skilled in the use of a variety of social media, and well aware of its potential ethical and practical limitations. It has served as a vital source and vehicle for news, information, business development, opinion sharing, cultural production, and entertainment. But residents were also well aware of its potential as a platform for making business and government practices more transparent, and its usefulness as a mobilizing platform for political change. Further research is needed to determine the larger impact of social media, particularly on UAE youth and women. Also, further research should be conducted to determine a more complete picture of its benefits, liabilities, and potential in an area that maintains one of world’s highest net migration rates. In the UAE, and perhaps the Gulf region at large, social media has established its place as an integral and interdependent actor in society." (Conclusion, page 22) more

"As the United Arab Emirates continues to emerge as a cosmopolitan tourist destination, the marketing of Arab images to create metaphors of hospitality and openness, even sex appeal, will continue to grow. Images of Arab women are central to the branding of the UAE in its desired role as a globally ... known brand/product/service that goes beyond normal expectations, delivering incredible luxury, all with the open arms of a warm and generous society. Consequently, the UAE advertising and media industry has created a mixed brand of western and Islamic representations of local women that is sometimes controversial, sometimes liberating. Arab women are caught in the dichotomous push-pull dynamics of rapid modernization in an Islamic state. These women will undoubtedly participate in the emergence of new gender identities, but not without resistance and obstacles, some imposed on themselves as they seek to navigate the forces of capitalistic consumerism and its effects on identity. Within this complexity, the influence of Western advertising and its potential impact on traditional versions of female Islamic identity cannot be easily reduced to a simple negative, but it is certainly the case that the classic dismemberment and fetishization of the female body is likely to intensify in Arab consumer media. This radical shift in her existential and social status will undoubtedly have deep and wide effects on the condition of women in UAE society. The status of the values and traditions of Arab-Islamic femininity and motherhood will become a matter for contestation with these commercial forces, as women appear more and more as the enablers of a more liberal and globalised value system. Many Arab women, both traditional and more liberal, are learning to navigate the dualistic pressures of living in a modern society with strong traditional values. Yet, they face a bipolar existence, at least for now. On the one hand, the image of Arab woman is being used in the public sphere to create a brand of sophistication and hospitality. On the other, women who appear publicly are still judged, sometimes very harshly. Consequently, Arab marketing to Arab women as consumers and Arab women as drivers of consumption tread between the idealized traditional Arab woman and the marketable Arab woman. The Arab woman emerges as an advertisement both for herself and her nation, while maintaining an identity of piety and a traditional role within the family. The successful identity of Arab woman will maintain a sense of piety, while being appealing to a world audience. Can global consumerism and Arab female identity find a peaceful coexistence? It will likely require Arab women’s sensibilities to negotiate this new identity from within their culture at a pace that is not threatening to the culture in general. This renegotiation will require wisdom, courage and the logic of the marketplace, a complicated territory indeed." (Conclusion, page 84) more