Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette



With over 90 million videos views per day on YouTube alone, Saudi Arabia is definitely one of the most important facets of social media. A recent survey found that Saudis watch an average of seven YouTube videos a day.



Saudi Arabia has some of the world’s highest usage rates for digital media. However, the largest numbers of users are aged 26 to 34. Twitter users constitute around 60% of Saudi Internet users as numbers rose by 45% between 2012 and 2013. About 8 million of the country’s population uses Facebook. Instagram, Keek, WhatsApp, Snapchat and Path are other more popular social media portals. With over 6 million Keek users from the region, Saudi Arabia is highly significant as it is one of the highest in engagement per user globally.



“I think with Twitter, it started off with many Saudis venting their frustrations out aloud but anonymously. Then it became popular because people realized they had a voice. And look at it now, it is our superpower. Twitter is our parliament now,” said Humaid Aziz, a 24-year-old Saudi banker in Jeddah.



Many Twitter users told Saudi Gazette that the social media platform has increased business efficiency and has revolutionized customer service. “From lost baggage, to bad customer service, everyone is aware once you tweet and no company wants to look bad. This is also great to boost sales and more customers,” Hasan Hamid, a Saudi entrepreneur living in Jeddah said.



For many women, Twitter is also a medium of communication that serves as a two-way road. “Twitter has given me the freedom to be able to communicate. Not only is it very difficult with all the restrictions, we did not really have a voice until we got on to social media. Now if I have a bad experience I tweet about it and get it fixed on the spot,” Marwa Ahmed, a 20-year-old Saudi student told Saudi Gazette.



However, social media includes the government using online data for intelligence purposes. A Saudi blogger named Raif Badawi was recently sentenced to ten years because his speech was deemed offensive. “Yes, there are drawbacks of social media. Not just limited to Saudi Arabia. But think about it, these courageous people went public, had a stage to use and they used it. It is still a progressive state for Saudi Arabia. Manal Al Sharif used it for driving and we have all seen courage being the forthright lesson learned. We believe in being more vocal about liberal opinions and accepting more change,” Samir Mohammed, a 32-year-old Saudi PR agent told Saudi Gazette.



According to the statistics portal, the most popular social network was Facebook with an 88 percent penetration rate. As of second quarter 2014, 31 percent of the total populations were active social media users. Many deem Path to be more private and Keek a ludicrous platform. “I mean the way Saudis are on Path and Keek is completely opposite to their public Twitter profile. It is insane; you get to know everyone’s different personalities. Snapchat and Instagram are the leading favorites for young men and women.



The former gives you the leverage to walk away and still remain bold,” Lara Akhtar a Saudi designer told Saudi Gazette.



The new movement and increasing usage has also led to the emergence of new media companies, like UTurn and Telfaz in Jeddah. Both channels now have over 300,000 subscribers. Comedy shows have also been a key social factor in engaging the masses, particularly Arabic speaking with the most number of subscribers from the country.



A few of the most popular online comedy shows are EyshElly, Al Temsah, Lumink, La Yekthar, Sa7i, Al Bernameg, Kharabeesh, Aala Al Tayer, N2O Comedy and Takki among others.



In a progressive society where the majority of population is below 30 years of age, the new exposed generation is experimenting, using social media to educate themselves, create an interactive and informing space and of course in the process many are enjoying the perks of being in the spotlight.