Facebook usage in the Yemen uprising: a study on self-consciousness, behaviours and attitudes of Sana’a University student / Faisal Ali Khaled Farhan

The emergence of the social network has transformed the way people communicate and share information. The use of Facebook during the uprising to oppose government malpractices is not yet. In this study, self-consciousness, behaviour and attitude of Sana’s University students towards Facebook usage during the uprising is investigated using the quantitative and qualitative method. Prior to data collection, permission to obtain data was the school authorities at Sana’a University and upon approval data reported in this study was collected. A pilot study was conducted using 50 respondents to improve the research items and structure of the research instruments. Quantitative data was collected from students between 18 and 24 years old using a questionnaire and were statistically analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to address the research objectives. Multiple regression and Chi-square (x2) statistical analysis were used to address the research hypotheses. Qualitative data were collected through group discussions from 24 informants comprising researchers, political activists, lawyers, teachers, businessmen and Librarians and was transcribed and thematically analysed to specifically address one or multiple research questions of the study. The findings show that Facebook was the main communication platform used by the protesters to organise social events and share uprising information. Students spend between 1 to 4 hours daily interacting with their online friends, family members and university peers discussing the events of the uprising. The cause of the uprising was attributed to lack of transparency and accountability by the corrupt leaders. Although the Yemeni successfully used the Facebook to organise protests and post-uprising images, the uprising resulted in loss of lives and millions of dollar worth of properties and severely affected the political, economic and social situation of Yemeni.