Shahd Alhamdan
Recent studies have shown that Saudi’s love social media, and that the Kingdom’s social media market is the highest in the Middle East. According to the Dubai School of Government, the Kingdom has 2.4 million active Twitter users, more than 40 percent all active users in the Arab region.
Another study showed that Saudi Arabia is ranked eighth in the world when it comes to Snapchat users; around 26 percent of Saudi teenagers use the application.
The social media revolution has altered the lives of many Saudis, and for Saudi youth, social media applications, especially Snapchat, have given them the chance to become famous. Some of these Internet celebrities not only make profits on social media, but also they have a direct impact on Saudi society, especially on younger generations.
Many Saudis are attending events or buying products that social media celebrities recommend. For some followers, meeting famous young snappers is a big moment in their lives. Yet, some Snapchat users believe that those who become famous via the social media platform don’t benefit society, and that the cause of their fame is society itself.
A Saudi development manager, Ali Al-Enzi, said that he uses Snapchat passively, following and watching people silently. He said that some Snapchat celebrities are getting attention that they don’t deserve.
Al-Enzi said that only 30 percent of them have an impact on the society, but that followers should not deny some celebrities encouragement for charity work, such as blood donations.
“They also promote and market for some shops and people. They are famous because they have free time and talk a lot and most of what they are saying is not valuable,” he said.
Saudi Mohammed Albaz, who works in the public sector said: “I follow some accounts to benefit from them, especially in the technical field and explaining the programs because this is my hobby. I follow others to laugh and for entertainment. Yet, some of the petty celebrities, I do not have any interest in following them.”
He said the reason for their fame is their followers. Some of these celebrities exploit their position commercially, refusing to make public appearances without getting paid.
“They have great influence on society and it is possible that they change others’ opinions, and tardiness of the society. Some of them provide and add information and some of them cannot add anything, or most of them don’t,” he said.
Young Saudi, Mohammed Abdo, said: “many petty Snapchat users became famous because of this application. Yet, this does not mean that they have value in the community or that they achieved anything. As the quote says ‘stop making stupid people famous,’ honestly. Unfortunately, we are the people who created this group and give them value. However, some celebrities are doing good things and benefiting society, such as Essam Alzamil. Yet, some people have around one million followers because of doing silly things.”
