Arab Social Media Report

The Arab Social Media Report Series is produced by the Dubai School of Government's Governance and Innovation Program. It is a recurring study that explores growth and usage trends of social media in the Arab region, through the analysis of Facebook and Twitter users in all 22 Arab countries, as well as Iran, Israel, and Turkey.

Each issue of the Arab Social Media Report Series highlights a specific theme related to social media, covering diverse topics such as general usage trends, its impact on civil movements, and its role in Arab women's empowerment. It also studies the potential of using Web 2.0 applications for increasing collaboration and knowledge sharing among government entities, citizens, and the private sector.

Its initial focuses included but were not limited to:

• Penetration trends of social networking services in the Arab region
• Growth rate, including demographic and gender breakdowns
• Sociopolitical factors which affect adoption of tools in different Arab countries
• Impact on citizen engagement and social inclusion, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship

Editions

Edition #6: Citizen Engagement and Public Services in the Arab World: The Potential of Social Media (June 2014)

Aimed to focus on the impact of social media use on citizen engagement and public service delivery in the Arab region".

Edition #5: Transforming Education in the Arab World: Breaking Barriers in the Age of Social Learning (June 2013)

Analyzes patterns, demographic breakdowns, and usage trends of social media platforms in the Arab region, as well as assesses the impact of social media on education and life-long learning in the region.

Edition #4: Social Media in the Arab World: Influencing Societal and Cultural Change? (July 2012)

Assessed the shift in regional trends, wherein the societal impact of social media usage changed from "if" to "how", "why", and "what's next". Findings addressed the impact of social media on freedom of expression and media consumption behaviors, to its empowerment of youth and women, and its role in popular civic movements. Analyzed Facebook and Twitter, as in previous studies, and added LinkedIn.

Edition #2: Arab Social Media Report: The Role of Social Media in Arab Women’s Empowerment (February 2011)

Focused on the role of social media in Arab women's empowerment, conducted as a collaborative effort between the Governance and Innovation Program and the Gender and Public Policy Program at the Dubai School of Government. It addressed the following main questions:

• What are the factors contributing to the low level of social media use among Arab women, as compared to men’s usage and to the global female average?
• Do Arab women perceive social media as useful to their needs?
• What are the usage trends?
• Can social media potentially increase women’s civic participation in the Arab world and contribute to their political and economic empowerment?

Edition #1: Facebook Usage: Factors and Analysis (January 2011)

This report analyzed data on Facebook users in 22 Arab countries, plus Iran and Israel.

Key findings:

• Annual Growth Rate
  Between January 2010 to December 2010, the number of Facebook users rose from 11,978,300 to 21,361,863 -- a 78% annual growth rate. With around 4.7 million Facebook users, Egypt constitutes about 22% of total users in the region.

• Facebook Penetration
  The UAE is the top Arab country in terms of Facebook penetration to percentage of the population (at 45%), as well as among the top 10 in the world. By contrast, by the end of 2010, the country average for Facebook user penetration in the Arab region was 5.94%.

• Age Breakdown
  Youth between the ages of 15 and 29 make up 75% of Facebook users in the Arab region, and more generally, comprise around one-third of the region's internet population.

• Gender Breakdown
  An average male to female ratio of 2:1, compared to almost 1:1 globally.

• Social Media Uptake & Political Events
  There is a direct correlation between political events and the uptake of social media. During the civil movements in Tunisia and Egypt during December 2010 and January 2011, the proportion of Tunisian citizens connected through Facebook increased by 8% during the first two weeks of January, and the usage shifted from being merely social in nature to becoming primarily political. From 2010 December 20 to 2011 January 5, the number of Facebook users remained unchanged, holding at 1,820,880; between 2011 January 5 and 2011 January 17, the number of users increased from 1,820,880 to 1,970,200.

External Links

• Arab Social Media Report, ArabSocialMediaReport.com.