User Perceptions of Impact of Internet Cafés in Amman, Jordan

This study analyzes users' perception of the impact of Internet café s on three aspects of their lives: social networking, education and learning, and income and employment. The study is based on a sample of 336 Internet café users and twenty-four operators in Amman, Jordan. Internet café users strongly perceive that these venues have improved their lives by expanding their social networks and improving their education and learning. Perceived impact on income or employment was lower than for the other two impact areas but was not insignificant, especially among male users. The Jordanian government's policy of increasing the number of licenses for private café operators is to be commended. There is, however, an area of major concern. Although women benefit from cybercafés as much as men, comparatively few women use these venues, and those who use them do so infrequently. The disparity is most acute in low-income neighborhoods. Understanding whether the observed gender disparities are culturally determined or the result of the environment prevalent in cybercafés and designing and implementing suitable policies to increase women's use of cybercafés should be high priorities for both researchers and government officials.