Intercultural engagement in the arabian gulf region

Abstract

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) represents a world-class metropolis with a high-tech infrastructure where the indigenous population represents less than 1/5th of the inhabitants. This paper presents an investigation into the use of Facebook in networking between students and faculty from the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in the UAE. This investigation was undertaken in order to gain a clearer understanding into the way in which intercultural communication occurs between students, faculty and staff. It attempts to identify key opportunities and issues that need to be addressed and the role of advanced technology in both enabling and framing the nature and form of these discourses.