The presence of Arab countries in the Internet: an analysis through their technological indicators and its universities

Abstract

Little research has been carried out on the presence of the Arab countries on the Internet, which goes to prove that the presence of the Arab world in the Web in general and of these countries’ universities, in particular, is still at an emergent stage. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the presence of the aforementioned countries on the Internet in 2009 by the application of two types of indicators: technological indicators, which reveal the development of each country and the general evolution of Arab States; and webometric indicators, which allow to ascertain the presence and quality of the universities of the Arab world on the Internet. In particular, the countries under analysis herein are those in the Middle East and North Africa (i.e. the MENA region) and the websites of their universities. The findings and conclusions of this research project reveal that, although the financial situation of the countries is an influential factor in explaining their presence on the Web and the quality of their universities, this element must not be considered isolated, as other factors, such as population and the social, political or cultural opening of these countries, also have an impact on them. Furthermore, in the last years there has been an overall positive evolution of Arab States in respect of their technology.