The role of social media in shaping Jordanian women’s attitudes towards human rights issues

Amer Khaled Ahmad 1 * , Amnaa Abu Shammalah 2, Abd Allah Aljalabneh 2, Maram Manajreh 2
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1 The College of Communication and Media, Al Ain University, Al Ain, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
2 Faculty of Media, Zarqa University, Zarqa, JORDAN
* Corresponding Author
Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, Volume 16, Issue 1, Article No: e202602. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/17662
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ABSTRACT

This study investigates the impact of social media platforms on Jordanian women’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning human rights issues, recognizing the growing influence of digital platforms in shaping public awareness and advocacy. The study employed a questionnaire to a purposive sample of 400 Jordanian women aged 18 and older, focusing on their reliance on social media to obtain human rights information. The results demonstrate varying degrees of reliance, with Facebook identified as the most frequently utilized platform due to its accessibility and credibility. The analysis revealed that social media has notable cognitive impacts, such as informing women about their rights and human rights developments, as well as emotional and behavioral impacts, including fostering empathy for victims and encouraging active participation in discussions and activities related to human rights. Significant positive correlations were observed between cognitive and behavioral impacts (r = 0.612, p = 0.000) and emotional and behavioral impacts (r = 0.691, p = 0.000). However, no statistically significant correlation was found between reliance on social media and the formation of attitudes toward human rights issues (r = 0.094, p = 0.060). The study specifically highlights justice, freedom of expression, and fair trial as the primary human rights concerns among Jordanian women. The prominence of these issues emphasizes the critical role social media can play in influencing human rights advocacy and shaping policy discussions. Practical implications suggest that civil society organizations and policymakers should strategically use social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram, to target advocacy campaigns, enhance civic engagement, and foster deeper attitudinal change among Jordanian women. These findings highlight the dual role of social media as an informational and mobilizing tool for human rights advocacy, while also indicating its limitations in influencing deeper attitudinal shifts. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for strategic use of social media to bridge these gaps and enhance its efficacy in fostering comprehensive human rights awareness.
Keywords: social media, human rights, Jordanian women, cognitive impacts

CITATION

Ahmad, A. K., Abu Shammalah, A., Aljalabneh, A. A., & Manajreh, M. (2026). The role of social media in shaping Jordanian women’s attitudes towards human rights issues. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 16(1), e202602. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/17662

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