Khalid Bin Mirdhah
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — A Saudi woman in her 20s has over hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Bayan Linjawi found her stardom through social media giving a platform for people to discuss social issues and exchange intellectual discussions.
“I’m not a YouTube star and I haven’t studied media but I talk to my followers and give them the chance to talk to me as well. Being authentic and honest is very important to people and a key factor of success in the new media,” said Linjawi.
She added she doesn’t present herself as an expert. She just offers her opinion to the world and encourages those who agree with her.
“My hobby is cooking. I used to cook and post my dishes on social media, mainly Snapchat. Through the comments I would get into discussions about social issues with my followers.
“Slowly, I realized that people are interested in my opinion so I began posting them and leaving the platform for others to comment,” said Linjawi.
She also said she has over hundreds of thousands of followers and she rivals many other thinkers and writers.
“Snapchat is a very intimate platform. You get to post videos and interact with your followers as if they were your family.
“I also have an Instagram account with over 45,000 followers. The relationship new media stars have with their fans and followers is different from traditional media,” said Linjawi.
She said she doesn’t focus on the number of followers but the number of people who reach out to her.
“I don’t mind receiving private messages, it doesn’t bother me. It just proves to me that my followers really care about reaching out to me. I try to help them as best I can. I do deal with inappropriate messages. I just simply report them and I don’t take too much notice,” said Linjawi.
