Social Construction of Communication Technologies:

 
This research seeks to understand the reasons that lead to the differences in social media preferences between Egyptians and Emaratis, and the meanings that each society, represented by its members, gives to these means.
The research adopted two theories, namely the theory of the social construction of technology and the theory of uses and gratifications. The research sought to answer a set of key questions about the preferred social media among the respondents in each country, and the extent to which there is a correlation between nationality and the preferred medium, in addition to knowing the reasons for preferring a particular medium, the uses and gratifications of the respondents, and what can be deduced from “meanings” and whether these meanings are related to the nationality of the respondents, and finally, if there is a difference in the meanings given by the respondents in relation to their preferred medium.
The research used the survey, data were collected using the convenient sample technique from university students in both Egypt and the UAE, with a sample size of 324 students. The conclusion that was reached through the detailed results of the research is that the societal meanings given by individuals in both Egypt and the Emirates to the various platforms of social media lead to a society preferring one medium over another, and perhaps individuals in each society use the same method in a different way. The results of the research support the view of the Social Structure of Technology (SCOT) theory, which believes that technology does not determine the behavior of individuals, but rather individuals who shape technology, and that we cannot understand the ways in which social media is used without understanding the social context within which these media operate. Despite the recognition that technology is a phenomenon that exists and occurs in our lives every day, it is a result and not a source of sociocultural change in society, rather it is affected by it, and that man creates technology and controls it to achieve the goals he seeks and he determines its meaning in his life.