Understanding IT-culture conflict:The case of arab women, virtual relationships, and conservative cultures

There has been a growing number of studies in the IS literature that have investigated the role of culture in the success or failure of Information Systems. These studies show how culture can affect the use of Information Systems and how Information Systems adoption can influence culture. However, there is still lack of studies that investigate how Information and Communication Technologies can modify the national culture of a country. To address this gap, we use the IT-Culture Conflict theory (Leidner and Kayworth 2006) as a theoretical base to explore how Social Networking technology influences the culture of a developing country. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 Arab female participants from the Arabian Gulf region. This study has important implications for both research and practice.