The Arab Social Media Report (ASMR),
produced by the Dubai School of Government’s
Governance and Innovation Program
January 2011
the report analyzes data on Facebook users in all 22 Arab countries, in addition to Iran and Israel. This is part of a larger research initiative
focusing on social engagement through ICT for better policy in Arab states, which explores the use of social networking services in governance, entrepreneurship promotion and social inclusion.
Kaplan & Haenlein - Users of the world, unite - the challenges and opportunit...ESCP Exchange
The concept of Social Media is top of the agenda for many business executives today. Decision makers, as well as consultants, try to identify ways in which firms can make profitable use of applications such as Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Second Life, and Twitter. Yet despite this interest, there seems to be very limited understanding of what the term ‘‘Social Media’’ exactly means; this article intends to provide some clarification. We begin by describing the concept of Social Media, and discuss how it differs from related concepts such as Web 2.0 and User Generated Content. Based on this definition, we then provide a classification of Social Media which groups applications currently subsumed under the generalized term into more specific categories by characteristic: collaborative projects, blogs, content communities, social networking sites, virtual game worlds, and virtual social worlds. Finally, we present 10 pieces of advice for companies which decide to utilize Social Media.
Kaplan & Haenlein - Users of the world, unite - the challenges and opportunit...ESCP Exchange
The concept of Social Media is top of the agenda for many business executives today. Decision makers, as well as consultants, try to identify ways in which firms can make profitable use of applications such as Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Second Life, and Twitter. Yet despite this interest, there seems to be very limited understanding of what the term ‘‘Social Media’’ exactly means; this article intends to provide some clarification. We begin by describing the concept of Social Media, and discuss how it differs from related concepts such as Web 2.0 and User Generated Content. Based on this definition, we then provide a classification of Social Media which groups applications currently subsumed under the generalized term into more specific categories by characteristic: collaborative projects, blogs, content communities, social networking sites, virtual game worlds, and virtual social worlds. Finally, we present 10 pieces of advice for companies which decide to utilize Social Media.
Kaplan & Haenlein - The early bird catches the news nine things you should kn...ESCP Exchange
Micro-blogs (e.g., Twitter, Jaiku, Plurk, Tumblr) are starting to become an established category within the general group of social media. Yet, while they rapidly gain interest among consumers and companies alike, there is no evidence to explain why anybody should be interested in an application that is limited to the exchange of short, 140-character text messages. To this end, our article intends to provide some insight. First, we demonstrate that the success of micro-blogs is due to the specific set of characteristics they possess: the creation of ambient awareness; a unique form of push-push-pull communication; and the ability to serve as a platform for virtual exhibitionism and voyeurism. We then discuss how applications such as Twitter can generate value for companies along all three stages of the marketing process: prepurchase (i.e., marketing research); purchase (i.e., marketing communications); and post-purchase (i.e., customer services). Finally, we present a set of rules–—The Three Rs of Micro-Blogging: Relevance; Respect; Return–—which companies should consider when relying on this type of application.
A century from now historians may look back on the beginning of the era of ubiquitous computing and note how human behavior fundamentally changed, when access to information and communication became instantaneous for nearly every person across the world.
Literature Review of Information Behaviour on Social MediaDavid Thompson
Using your knowledge about information resource and skills in searching and evaluating information achieved in the first half of the semester, now you are required to choose a specific topic in the area of information research, explore the exisiting literature within this domain and write a literature review.
A term paper for a strategy class at the Asian Institute of Management. It talks about the competitive advantages of Facebook and how presents an industry model for the social media space.
(if you use this ppt - please give credit. thank you)
Impact of Social Media on Organizational Culture: Evidence from PakistanMuhammad Arslan
This paper investigates the impact of social Media on Organizational culture. The approach used in this paper
was to give the application and significance of development of Social media for organizations. With an
introduction to social media, organizational culture is focused by studying communication, business focus,
workplace harmony, workplace behaviors, and business discipline. A self-administered survey is used to collect
responses from employees working at different organizations through e-mail and various social media tools. The
main result of the research is the validation of the research framework of employees operating in the SME’s of
Pakistan. It has been found that organizational culture is considerably affected by development and application
of social media for business related activities in organizations.
Kaplan & Haenlein - The early bird catches the news nine things you should kn...ESCP Exchange
Micro-blogs (e.g., Twitter, Jaiku, Plurk, Tumblr) are starting to become an established category within the general group of social media. Yet, while they rapidly gain interest among consumers and companies alike, there is no evidence to explain why anybody should be interested in an application that is limited to the exchange of short, 140-character text messages. To this end, our article intends to provide some insight. First, we demonstrate that the success of micro-blogs is due to the specific set of characteristics they possess: the creation of ambient awareness; a unique form of push-push-pull communication; and the ability to serve as a platform for virtual exhibitionism and voyeurism. We then discuss how applications such as Twitter can generate value for companies along all three stages of the marketing process: prepurchase (i.e., marketing research); purchase (i.e., marketing communications); and post-purchase (i.e., customer services). Finally, we present a set of rules–—The Three Rs of Micro-Blogging: Relevance; Respect; Return–—which companies should consider when relying on this type of application.
A century from now historians may look back on the beginning of the era of ubiquitous computing and note how human behavior fundamentally changed, when access to information and communication became instantaneous for nearly every person across the world.
Literature Review of Information Behaviour on Social MediaDavid Thompson
Using your knowledge about information resource and skills in searching and evaluating information achieved in the first half of the semester, now you are required to choose a specific topic in the area of information research, explore the exisiting literature within this domain and write a literature review.
A term paper for a strategy class at the Asian Institute of Management. It talks about the competitive advantages of Facebook and how presents an industry model for the social media space.
(if you use this ppt - please give credit. thank you)
Impact of Social Media on Organizational Culture: Evidence from PakistanMuhammad Arslan
This paper investigates the impact of social Media on Organizational culture. The approach used in this paper
was to give the application and significance of development of Social media for organizations. With an
introduction to social media, organizational culture is focused by studying communication, business focus,
workplace harmony, workplace behaviors, and business discipline. A self-administered survey is used to collect
responses from employees working at different organizations through e-mail and various social media tools. The
main result of the research is the validation of the research framework of employees operating in the SME’s of
Pakistan. It has been found that organizational culture is considerably affected by development and application
of social media for business related activities in organizations.
Social Media and the Internet of Things (Arab Social Media Report 2017) 7th E...Ahmed Al-Shams
The power and influence of social media has continued to grow globally over the past decade. During this period, the scope and scale of usage have changed dramatically, from the early days when social media was primarily fulfilling social needs of connectivity, communication, socialization and entertainment, to the current era, where social media applications are seen as important tools of governing, development, diplomacy and business. More recently, informational flows taking place through social media have been informing—and misinforming—public opinion and influencing policy development and political communication. For example, in 2015 and 2016, social media played a critical role in shaping public opinion internationally and on national levels, during numerous major events with global implications. During the past few years, as applications of “big data” and artificial intelligence continued to mature, the level of sophistication and influence of social media expanded further. As societal penetration rates increased, these data-driven applications started to provide deep insights into public views, sentiments, needs, behaviors and activities in numerous countries at unprecedented granular levels. The newfound insights harnessed through social media created new opportunities, as well as new risks.
Citizen Engagement and Public Services in the Arab World:
The Potential of Social Media June 2014
Source: Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government
Based on a work at www.ArabSocialMediaReport.com.
Social media is changing the
conversation. Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn, foursquare – we no longer
just communicate; we interact. In
the process, how can the wealth
of information being generated
by social media help us better
understand how our cities function
and create smarter cities in the process?
Social media is changing the
conversation. Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn, foursquare – we no longer
just communicate; we interact. In
the process, how can the wealth
of information being generated
by social media help us better
understand how our cities function
and create smarter cities in the process?
The latest version of this report explores various dimensions of social media usage including penetration, growth rate, demographics, social inclusion and citizen engagement
2Running Head THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR.docxrhetttrevannion
2
Running Head: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
2
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Name
Institution Affiliations
Abstract
Social media include blogs, microblogs and even electronic social networks. They are generally believed to have transformed the manner in which individuals relate with each other. This applied research assessment which therefore explore on the influence of social media in the public sector. Within the public sector, there are prevalent evidences which justify the impact of the social media in the public sector. There have been numerous cases in which individuals have a norm to communications within the noticeable one-way fashion for several decades. This applied research will explore various aspects on how social media has influenced the public sector. Besides, it will navigate how social media has entirely contributed to the growth of the public sector both in negative and positive effects. This will include the review of the literature of what other researchers have done on the topic. Comment by Tiffany H: This applied research assessment explores the influence of social media in the public sector. Comment by Tiffany H: And will navigate through how social media Comment by Tiffany H: Should this start with besides?
Table of Contents
· Problem or Issue Statement.
· Introduction.
· Review of Literature.
· Research Methodology.
· Findings.
· Analysis.
· Recommendations.
· References.
Problem or Issue Statement
Government agencies have gradually but progressively adopted social technologies to execute their tasks better. Such social technologies can accumulatively reengineer the old model of the public sector. This is due to the fact they facilitate substantial chances to accelerating the transparency as well as prevalence within the government agencies and its departments. It besides can increase the trustworthy in government from its respective citizens. Through social media, there can be creation of new forms of participation of citizens as well as the engagement in public issues. Besides, social media has enhanced both intra-organizational and inter-organizational collaboration. There is therefore an essential need to look into various ways that the social media have really enhanced an achievement of such empirical formalities within the government structure hence developing the citizen-government relationship. Comment by Tiffany H: Accelerate the transparency of what? Comment by Tiffany H: Remove Comment by Tiffany H: has
From a contextual perspective, it is evident to state that the relationship and collaboration between the government and the citizen have been greatly altered, advanced by the use of social media. In addition, this has heightened the participation of the citizens in most of the government projects which have been overseen and controlled by the government offices. The .
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...Ramesh Iyer
In today's fast-changing business world, Companies that adapt and embrace new ideas often need help to keep up with the competition. However, fostering a culture of innovation takes much work. It takes vision, leadership and willingness to take risks in the right proportion. Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder of Builder.ai, has perfected the art of this balance, creating a company culture where creativity and growth are nurtured at each stage.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
1. Vol. 1, No. 1 January 2011
The Arab Social Media Report (ASMR), Facebook Usage:
Factors and Analysis
produced by the Dubai School of Government’s
Governance and Innovation Program, is the
first in a quarterly series that will highlight and
analyze usage trends of online social networking
across the Arab region. In its inaugural edition, 1. Introduction
the report analyzes data on Facebook users
The rapid rise of social media, driven by the past decade’s Internet boom1,
in all 22 Arab countries, in addition to Iran and
has brought with it promises of more participatory governance, civic
Israel. This is part of a larger research initiative
engagement, new social dynamics, a more inclusive civil society and a wealth
focusing on social engagement through ICT for
of opportunity for businesspersons and entrepreneurs. Today, social media
better policy in Arab states, which explores the
tools have become a staple in the everyday lives of many people, merging
use of social networking services in governance,
their online and offline experience, and becoming one of the main methods
entrepreneurship promotion and social inclusion.
of social connection and interaction around the world, whether between
The initiative also studies the potential of Web
individuals, or with businesses and governments. Facebook is arguably one
2.0 applications for increasing collaboration,
of the most popular social networking sites in the world, as highlighted by
knowledge sharing and innovation, both
Figure 1, in which a social map visualizing the Facebook interconnectivity
between and among government entities,
of “netizens” around the globe has resulted in a highly detailed new outline
citizens and the private sector.
of the world. As such, this inaugural report focuses on Facebook usage as
Toward this end, the Arab Social Media Report will the primary metric of social media usage. Future editions of the report will
aim to inform a better understanding of the impact expand coverage to other social networking platforms such as Twitter and
of social media on development and growth in LinkedIn.
the Arab region by exploring the following:
The past year has seen social media being used in a wide variety of ways in
• What are the penetration trends of social the Arab region, whether to rally people around social causes and political
networking services in the Arab region? campaigns, boost citizen journalism and civic participation, create a forum
What is the growth rate, and what is the for debate and interaction between governments and their communities,
demographic and gender breakdown? or to enhance innovation and collaboration within government. These tools
• What factors affect the adoption of these have also been viewed negatively and subverted, censored and exploited
platforms in different Arab countries (e.g., (Figure 2). It is repeatedly argued that this social media “revolution” is also
income, youth population, digital access, contributing to economic growth globally. Social networking businesses
Internet freedom, etc.)? are quickly climbing up the most successful companies list.2 Additionally,
such platforms and their “networks,” which connect more than 550 million
• What is the impact of these phenomena on
people globally, provide an infrastructure for thousands of start-ups, social
citizen engagement and social inclusion?
entrepreneurs and to explore their creative potential and build diverse
• What is the impact of the new social businesses and services for a steadily growing audience.3
networking dynamics on innovation and
entrepreneurship? 1
With around 30 percent of the world population embracing the Internet and a growth rate
close to 450 percent over that period.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36492&Cr=internet&Cr1=
This report, along with updated information, http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
charts and links to social networking ASMR 2
For example, Facebook alone is estimated to be a $50 billion dollar company, while Twitter
group pages are available at: is worth an estimated $3.7 billion.
www.ArabSocialMediaReport.com. http://www.economist.com/economist-asks/facebook_overvalued_50_billion?fsrc=scn/
fb/wl/ar/asks_facebookvalue,
For questions or media enquiries please direct http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704828104576021954210929460.html
emails to the authors at: socialmedia@dsg.ac.ae 3
For example, according to Facebook’s official statistics page to date more than 2.5 million
individuals have created applications developed via the Facebook platform alone, creating
thousands of jobs and massive growth potential.
2. Social networking tools have the potential to enhance citizen engagement in
the region, promote social inclusion and create opportunities for employment,
entrepreneurship and development.
Figure 1: A Visualization of Facebook Network Connections
Source: Facebook.com
According to research conducted by DSG’s Governance and Innovation program, the penetration of social networking
and Web 2.0 technologies is soaring in the Arab region. Demographically, the Arab region is a youthful one, where youth
between the ages of 15 and 29 make up around one-third of the population. With the exponential growth of online
social networking—particularly among this demographic, who will in the next few years become active citizens, potential
entrepreneurs and part of the government and private sector workforce—it is argued that social networking tools
have the potential to enhance citizen engagement in the region, promote social inclusion and create opportunities for
employment, entrepreneurship and development.
Figure 2: Selected Highlights of Social Media Usage in the Arab Region 2010
February April June September October December December
punishment after Facebook/
social media regualtions (6)
primary source of coverage
users provide critical input
Syria issues zero tolerance
on government’s proposed
and Information develops
policy on school corporal
Social medi a informs 1st
Saudi Ministry of Culture
Facebook in presidential
Sudanese election in 24
UAE lifts 5-year ban on
Lebanese social media
Social media becomes
e-transactions law (3)
Egyptians’ first use of
of Tunisia events (7)
YouTube videos (4)
campaigns (1)
Flicker (5)
years (2)
(1) http://news.egypt.com/en/201002179286/news/-egypt -news/egypt -facebook-campaign-for-baradei-presidency.html
(2) http://globalvoicesonIine.org/20I0/04/12/sudan-sudan-votes-after-24-years/
(3) http://opennet.net/blog/2010/06/stop-this-Iaw-internet-regulation-surveillance-and-voip-Iebanon
(4) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-111438882
(S) http://www.thenational.ae/business/technology/flickr-hopes-high-after-uae-lifts-five-year- ban
(6) http://www.info.gov.sa/electronicPublishing.aspx (in Arabic)
(7) http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/01/06/feature-02
2 Arab Social Media Report Vol. 1, No. 1
3. Social media or social networking tools are Internet-based applications that focus
on building social networks or social relations among people with shared interests
and/or activities. Social media sites essentially consist of a representation of each
user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. They
allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual
networks, in addition to a wider scope of applications with increasing global
impact on society and government.
On the regulatory side, some Arab countries are currently developing guidelines on the use of social media, whether by citizens
or governments. Saudi Arabia, for example, has recently issued a document outlining the laws and rules governing the licensing
and use of social networking tools and other forms of online publishing by citizens.4 Conversely, the UAE is in the process of
finalizing guidelines on social media usage by government entities. This document, developed by the General Information
Authority and the Dubai School of Government, highlights best practices and addresses both the benefits and risks of using
social networking tools, both in engaging with citizens and for inter-agency collaboration.
The civil movements in Tunisia and Egypt during December 2010 and January 2011 are a prime example of the growth and
shift in social media usage by citizens. The proportion of Tunisian citizens connected through Facebook, for example, (Facebook
penetration) increased by 8% during the first two weeks of January 2011. The type of usage also changed markedly, shifting from
being merely social in nature to becoming primarily political (Figure 3).5
Figure 3: Number of Facebook users in Tunisia (End-Nov. 2010 to mid-Jan. 2011)
2,200,000
2,000,000 1,970,200
1,800,000
1,791,420 1,820,880 1,820,880
1,600,000 1,768,200
1,400,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
0
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5
The change to numbers of Egyptian Facebook users during January 2011 was not yet available for this edition of the report.
Facebook Usage: Factors and Analysis 3
4. On a global level, the UAE is the top Arab country in terms of Facebook penetration
as percentage of the population. It is also among the top 10 in the world, with a
Facebook penetration rate of 45%
2. Mapping Facebook Usage in the Arab World
This edition of the Arab Social Media Report focuses primarily on Facebook usage in the Arab region. As such, the number of
Facebook users in all 22 Arab countries, in addition to Iran and Israel, was collected periodically between April and December
2010, in the following age brackets—youth (15-29), and adults (30 and over)—as well as by gender, and correlated with
several factors, including digital access, gender gaps, youth population, and Internet freedom. Below are the findings:
2.1 Penetration and uptake6 Facebook in the Arab World: A Snapshot
• The total number of Facebook users in the Arab world stands at 21,361,863 (Dec. 2010), up from 11,978,300
(Jan. 2010). A 78% annual growth rate.
• At the end of 2010, the country average for Facebook user penetration in the Arab region was 6.77%.
• The UAE has the highest penetration rate in the Arab region, with more than 45% of the population having
Facebook accounts.
• GCC countries dominate the top five Arab FB users as percentage of population, with Lebanon being the
only exception.
• With around 4.7 million Facebook users, Egypt constitutes about 22% of total users in the Arab region.
• Youth (between the ages of 15 and 29) make up 75% of Facebook users in the Arab region.
• Gender breakdown of Facebook users indicates an average 2:1 ratio of male to female users in the Arab
region, compared to almost 1:1 globally.
On a global level, the UAE is the top Arab country in terms of Facebook penetration as percentage of the population.
It is also among the top 10 in the world, with a Facebook penetration rate of 45% (Figure 4). Penetration is calculated
by dividing the number of Facebook users by country population (based on ILO statistics). However, official population
numbers have been recently obtained for GCC countries. The variation in Facebook penetration according to these figures
is highlighted in the figures and tables below.
Figure 4: Top 10 Countries by Facebook Penetration (Dec. 2010)
70.00 66.56
60.00
52.38 51.01 50.76 50.40
50.00 48.08 46.22 45.92 45.38 44.92
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For all charts in the report, the numbers of Facebook users in Syria, Sudan and Iran are estimates, while the numbers for remaining countries were
compiled from official Facebook data. Refer to the Annex for details.
4 Arab Social Media Report Vol. 1, No. 1
5. Moreover, when comparing the uptake of Facebook in Arab countries with that in some of the “Top 20“ countries (in terms of
Facebook penetration worldwide), several Arab countries outpace the Top 20 in terms of new users acquired throughout 2010
as percentage of population. By the end of 2010, the UAE and Qatar, for example, had acquired 17.2% and 14.7% new users
respectively as a percentage of their country populations (while in Israel, Facebook acquired 18.4%), compared with the US (11.9%)
and Canada (10.15%), for example, two other countries with among the highest Facebook penetration rates in the world (Figure 5).
Figure 5: New Facebook Users in 2010 as Percentage of Population
20.00
18.48
18.00 17.18
16.00
14.68
14.00
12.00 11.94
10.13 10.58
10.00 9.11
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When comparing the uptake of Facebook in Arab countries with that in some of
the “Top 20“ countries (in terms of Facebook penetration worldwide), several Arab
countries outpace the Top 20 in terms of new users acquired throughout 2010
On a regional level7, the Arab countries can be divided into three groups according to their rates of Facebook penetration
(Figure 6).
Figure 6: Facebook User Penetration in the Arab Region plus Iran and Israel (Dec. 2010)
50.00
45.38
42.93
40.00 Top performers
33.95
34.27
Emerging countries
30.00
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20.64
20.00
17.06 17.55
12.24
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3.74 3.99
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So
7
Israel and Iran are also included for comparative purposes in this report, as Middle Eastern countries that share certain socioeconomic and geopolitical
characteristics with many Arab countries.
Facebook Usage: Factors and Analysis 5
6. 1. Top performers: These countries’ Facebook user penetration rates are on par with the Top 20 countries in the world,
indicating a pervasive use of Facebook in their societies. (Facebook penetration ranging from 30%-45%)
2. Emerging countries: These countries’ Facebook user penetration ranges from 10%-25%, indicating a medium
penetration of Facebook users.
3. Developing users: These countries have low rates of Facebook user penetration, ranging from less than 1% to just
under 8%, indicating room for growth.
Table 1 and Figure 7 also highlight the numbers of Facebook users and their penetration both as a percentage of country
population and as percentage of total Facebook users in the Arab world.
Table 1: Facebook Users and Country Population in the Arab World
Number of Facebook
Country Facebook users Population* penetration (%)
Algeria 1,413,280 35,422,589 3.99
Bahrain 276,580 807,131 34.27
Comoros 6,240 691,351 0.90
Djibouti 46,040 879,053 5.24
Egypt 4,634,600 84,474,427 5.49
Iraq 397,140 31,466,698 1.26
Jordan 1,104,340 6,472,392 17.06
Kuwait 629,700 3,050,744 20.64
Lebanon 983,380 4,254,583 23.11
Libya 260,400 6,545,619 3.98
Mauritania 40,000 3,365,675 1.19
Morocco 2,446,300 32,381,283 7.55
Oman 219,320 2,905,114 7.55
Palestine 474,400 4,409,392 10.76
Qatar 512,060 1,508,322 33.95
Saudi Arabia 3,213,420 26,245,969 12.24
Somalia 6,940 9,133,124 0.08
Sudan 319,624 43,192,438 0.74
Syria 241,859 22,505,091 1.07
Tunisia 1,820,880 10,373,957 17.55
UAE 2,135,960 4,707,307 45.38
Yemen 179,400 24,255,928 0.74
the UAE is the most balanced in terms of adult and youthful Facebook users, while
countries such as Somalia, Palestine and Morocco have a predominantly youthful
Facebook user population
6 Arab Social Media Report Vol. 1, No. 1
7. The demographic breakdown of Facebook users indicates that they are a youthful group.
Youth (between the ages of 15 and 29) make up 75% of Facebook users in the Arab region.
Figure 7: Number of Facebook Users and Percentage of Users in the Arab Region
4,634,600 5,697,423
(22%) (27%) Remaining Arab Countries
Algeria
Tunisia
UAE
3,213,420
1,413,280
(15%) Morocco
(7%)
KSA
1,820,880
(8%) Egypt
2,446,300
(11%) 2,135,960
(10%)
To ensure consistent comparisons, the populations for the Arab world used in this report were compiled from the United Nations
ILO Department of Statistics. All of the figures in international reports conflict with more recent official GCC population numbers.
Replacing some of the population figures with more recent figures from National Statistics Offices (specifically for the GCC
countries) drastically changes the Facebook penetration rates and rankings within the GCC (for further details refer to Annex 2).
2.2 Demographic and gender breakdown of Facebook penetration
The demographic breakdown of Facebook users indicates that they are a youthful group. Youth (between the ages of 15
and 29) make up 75% of Facebook users in the Arab region. Moreover, the UAE is the most balanced in terms of adult and
youthful Facebook users, while countries such as Somalia, Palestine and Morocco have a predominantly youthful Facebook
user population (see Figure 8 below).
Figure 8: Demographic Breakdown of Facebook Users in the Arab Region* (Dec. 2010)
100%
15-29 FB users (% of the total country users)
Over 30 FB users (% of total country users)
90% 22 22 22 21 20 19 17 16
80%
45 44 41 38 36 34 33 33 31 31 28 25
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
55 56 59 62 64 66 67 67 69 69 72 75 78 78 78 79 80 81 83 84
20%
10%
0%
AE
Ku r
O t
Ba n
Co ain
iA s
a
a
n
q
Al a
Tu a
sia
an
D pt
Ye ti
M en
Pa co
So ne
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Sa mo
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Ey
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jib
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Jo
le
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au
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* Excluding Syria and Sudan (due to US technology sanctions, no data on demographic breakdown of Facebook users available)
8 http://laborsta.ilo.org/
9 Arab ICT Use Report 2010, Madar Research, Dubai, UAE
Facebook Usage: Factors and Analysis 7
8. Moreover, the percentage of Arab Facebook users who are between 15 and 29 years of age is significantly higher than the
proportion of youth (15-29) in general in the Arab world (roughly 40% of 15 year-olds and above). See Figure 9, indicating
the high uptake of Facebook among Arab youth.
Figure 9: Comparison of Overall Youth Population to Young Facebook Users in Arab Countries*
Somalia 84.26
46.13
Oman 83.32
48.78
Mauritania 80.87
40.37
Yemen 80.26
53.38
Djibouti 78.95
15-29 years olds (% of over-15 population)
47.04
Egypt 78.15
15-29 FB users (% of over-15 FB users
43.03
Jordan 45.72
77.82
Tunisia 77.76
37.50
Algeria 75.46
42.06
Libya 71.76
46.84
Iraq 69.00
46.87
Kuwait 68.62
35.55
Lebanon 66.68
47.04
Qatar 66.58
40.71
Comoros 66.45
46.56
Bahrain 63.65
37.62
Morocco 62.40
45.51
KSA 59.46
32.85
Palestine 55.81
40.17
UAE 54.61
30.88
0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00
* Excluding Syria and Sudan (due to US technology sanctions, no data on demographic breakdown of Facebook users available)
Although the Arab region in general is a youthful one, the size of the youth population does not necessarily correlate with
Facebook penetration rates. However, it does seem to indicate potential for growth (see Figure 10).
The gender breakdown of Facebook users indicates an average 2:1 ratio of
male to female users in the Arab region. This goes against the global trend of
Facebook usage, where women constitute a small majority of users, with 54%
of Facebook users
8 Arab Social Media Report Vol. 1, No. 1
9. Figure 10: Comparison of Overall Youth Population to Facebook Penetration Rates in Arab Countries*
UAE 45.38
30.88
Bahrain 34.27
37.62
Qatar 33.95
40.17
Lebanon 23.11
35.55
Kuwait 20.64
32.85
Tunisia 17.55
37.50
Jordan 17.06
45.72
Saudi Arabia 12.24
40.71
Palestine 10.76
48.78
Morocco 7.55
40.37
Oman 7.55
45.51
% youth (of over 15s)
Egypt 5.49
43.03
Djibouti 5.24
FB penetration
47.04
Algeria 3.99
42.06
Libya 3.98
40.12
Iraq 1.26
46.87
Mauritania 1.19
46.84
Comoros 0.90
46.56
Yemen 0.74
53.38
Somaila 0.08
46.13
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00
* Excluding Syria and Sudan (no data on demographic breakdown of Facebook users available)
The gender breakdown of Facebook users indicates an average 2:1 ratio of male to female users in the Arab region. This
goes against the global trend of Facebook usage, where women constitute a small majority of users, with 54% of Facebook
users10 (see Figure 11).
Figure 11: Gender Breakdown of Facebook Users in Arab Countries* (Dec. 2010) Female users as percentage of total country users
100%
Male users as percentage of total country users
90% 15 19 26 27 29 30 31 31 31 31 35 35 37 37 38 38 42 42 42 45
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
85 81 74 73 71 70 69 69 69 69 65 65 63 63 62 62 58 58 58 55
20%
10%
0%
Ye a
en
au raq
D ia
ti
Al a
ria
an
iA r
a
AE
os
Ku t
Pa ait
M ine
Tu o
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Ba n
Le ain
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by
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a
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al
an
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Eg
st
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Li
m
Sa Q
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ba
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m
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Jo
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* Excluding Syria and Sudan (due to US technology sanctions, no data on gender breakdown of Facebook users available)
10
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/infographic-facebook-vs-twitter-2010-user-stats/?news=123
Facebook Usage: Factors and Analysis 9
10. Lebanon is the most gender-balanced of the Arab countries, followed closely by
Bahrain, Jordan and Tunisia, while at the other end of the spectrum Facebook users
in Somalia and Yemen are overwhelmingly male
In terms of Facebook usage, Lebanon is the most gender-balanced of the Arab countries, followed closely by Bahrain,
Jordan and Tunisia, while at the other end of the spectrum Facebook users in Somalia and Yemen are overwhelmingly male
3. International Benchmarks and Facebook Usage Trends in the Arab States
Countries in the Arab world share a number of similar characteristics, such as a booming youth population, but they also diverge
along several lines. Given the diversity of Facebook penetration rates across the Arab region, we explored various indicators to
assess which trends and factors seem to affect its use and uptake. The comparison included the following indicators:
• Digital Access Index (DAI)
• Internet penetration
• Income (FDP per capita)
• Internet freedom
• Other development indicators:
o Global Gender Gap Index
o Human Development Index (HDI)
Figure 12: Facebook Penetration and Digital Access Index in the Arab Countries*
(plus Iran and Israel) (Dec. 2010)
UAE 64.00
45.38
Israel 70.00
42.93
Bahrain 60.00
34.27
Qatar 55.00
33.95
Lebanon 48.00
23.11
Kuwait 51.00
20.64
Tunisia 41.00
17.55
Jordan 45.00
17.06
Saudi 44.00
12.24
Palestine 38.00
10.76
Morocco 33.00
7.55
Oman 43.00
7.55
Egypt 40.00
5.49
FB penetration
Djibouti 15.00
5.24
DAI (x100)
Algeria 37.00
3.99
Libya 42.00
3.74
Mauritania 14.00
1.19
Syria 28.00
1.07
Comoros 13.00
0.90
Sudan 13.00
0.74
Yemen 18.00
0.74
Iran 44.00
0.17
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 70.00 80.00
* Excluding Iraq and Somalia; no data on DAI was provided.
10 Arab Social Media Report Vol. 1, No. 1
11. 3.1 Digital Access Index11 (DAI): Developed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Digital
Access Index (DAI) is a composite of several factors and measures representing the overall ability of individuals in a country
to access and use new ICTs (on a scale from 0-1)12. Within the DIA, countries are grouped into High, Upper, Medium and
Low brackets. A correlation exists with Facebook penetration for countries with high DAI, but less so for countries with
medium DAI, indicating that the other factors measured by the listed indicators above come into play and affect these
countries’ Facebook penetration rates (see Figure 12).
By comparing the Arab countries to their “peers” within each of the DAI brackets, we can see how they are performing
in terms of Facebook penetration when compared to some of the top 20 countries in the world. Clearly, the UAE, Qatar,
Bahrain and Kuwait perform as well as their counterparts in the Upper DIA bracket (Figure 13), while Lebanon, Tunisia and
Jordan also hold their own in the Medium DIA bracket (Figure 14). For the remaining Arab countries in the Middle DIA
bracket, other factors (explored further in this paper) seem to come into play.
Figure 13: Comparison of Facebook Penetration Rates Among Select Upper DAI Countries (Dec. 2010)
50.00
45.38
45.00 43.91 42.93
40.00 38.26
35.00 34.27 33.95
30.00
25.00
20.64
20.00
16.53
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
AE
ile
l
nd
n
ar
t
o
ae
ai
ai
ic
at
w
Ch
la
U
Isr
hr
ex
Q
Ku
Ire
Ba
M
Figure 14: Comparison of Facebook Penetration Rates Among Select Medium DAI Countries (Dec. 2010)
35.00
32.19
30.00
25.00 23.11
20.54
20.00 17.55 17.06
15.00 13.67
12.24
10.76
10.00 7.55 7.55
5.49
3.99 3.98
5.00
0.17
0.00
y
n
es
a
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In
Ph
3.2 Internet penetration13, although included in the DAI, warrants further exploration as the main driver/barrier
to Facebook usage and gives a good indication of potential for Facebook user growth. High Internet penetration does not
necessarily correlate with high Facebook penetration (see Figure 15)
11
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/dai/
12
DAI figures were multiplied by 100 for easier comparison to Facebook penetration numbers in the chart.
13
ITU statistics 2009, http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx, except Sudan, (UNDESA e-government survey 2010).
Facebook Usage: Factors and Analysis 11
12. Figure 15: Facebook and Internet Penetration Rates in the Arab countries (plus Iran and Israel) (Dec. 2010)
UAE 75.00
45.38
Israel 63.12
42.93
Bahrain 53.00
34.27
Qatar 40.00
33.95
Lebanon 23.68
23.11
Kuwait 36.85
20.64
Tunisia 34.07
17.55
Jordan 26.00
17.06
Saudi Arabia 38.00
12.24
Palestine 32.23
10.76
Morocco 41.30
7.55
Internet users per 100
Oman 51.50
7.55
Egypt 24.26
5.49
FB penetration
Djibouti 3.00
5.24
Algeria 13.47
3.99
Libya 5.51
3.74
Iraq 1.06
1.26
Mauritania 2.28
1.19
Syria 20.40
1.07
Comoros 3.59
0.90
Sudan 9.19
0.74
Yemen 9.96
0.74
Iran 11.07
0.17
Somalia 1.16
0.08
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 70.00 80.00
Interestingly, a few Arab countries (Djibouti, Iraq) actually have more Facebook users than Internet users, indicating that
many Facebook users in these countries rely on mobile access. (See Figure 16)
Figure 16: Facebook Users as Percentage of Internet Users in Arab Countries (plus Iran and Israel) (Dec. 2010)
200.00
180.00 174.58
160.00
140.00
120.00 119.07
100.00 97.61
84.87
80.00 64.65 67.87
56.01 65.62 68.02
51.52 60.50
60.00 29.62 52.13
32.22
40.00 25.14 33.38
20.00 18.2922.61
8.0514.66
1.51 5.27 6.55 7.43
0.00
n
ria
Ye ia
Su n
O n
M man
co
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Sa Alg s
i A ia
Pa bia
Tu e
au sia
Ku ia
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Ba AE
Jo n
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D raq
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12 Arab Social Media Report Vol. 1, No. 1
13. Interestingly, a few Arab countries (Djibouti, Iraq) actually have more Facebook users than
Internet users, indicating that many Facebook users in these countries rely on mobile access.
3.3 Income (specifically GDP per capita)14 correlates to Facebook penetration at either end of the spectrum (i.e., for
countries with either very high or very low Facebook penetration), but less so for countries with a medium rate of Facebook
penetration (Figure 17). As with the DAI, it seems other factors affect Facebook penetration in the medium range. Once
again, Lebanon, Tunisia and Jordan seem to have much higher Facebook penetration rates than other Arab countries
within the same income range, as does Palestine. Oman, Saudi Arabia and Libya all have low Facebook penetration in
comparison with their GDP per capita, as well as in comparison to counterparts with the Middle DAI bracket previously
mentioned.
Figure 17: GDP per Capita and Facebook Penetration in the Arab Countries (plus Israel and Iran) (Dec. 2010)
UAE 45.38
45.61
Israel 42.93
26.87
Bahrain 34.27
19.82
Qatar 33.95
59.99
Lebanon 23.11
8.16
Kuwait 20.64
27.84
Tunisia 17.55
4.17
Jordan 17.06
4.20
Saudi Arabia 12.24
14.74
Palestine 10.76
4.50
GDP per capita (in ‹000s)
Morocco 7.55
2.88
Oman 7.55
16.00
Egypt 5.49
2.45
FB penetration
Djibouti 5.24
1.31
Algeria 3.99
4.00
Libya 3.98
9.51
Iraq 1.26
2.11
Mauritania 1.19
0.98
Yemen 1.12
1.12
Syria 1.07
2.62
Comoros 0.90
0.81
Sudan 0.74
1.40
Iran 0.17
4.40
Somalia 0.08
0.60
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 70.00
14
2009 estimates from IMF “World Economic Outlook Database,”
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/02/weodata/index.aspx, except Palestine
(http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/PressRelease/forecast_e.pdf ) and Somalia (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html)
Facebook Usage: Factors and Analysis 13
14. 3.4 Internet freedom: Rankings15 were developed based on the Open Net Initiative country profiles of internet
filtering practices.16 Counter-intuitively, filtering does not seem to correlate with Facebook penetration. Some countries
with lower scores (i.e., more pervasive filtering) have relatively high Facebook penetration (Figure 18). In fact, the top three
Arab countries in terms of Facebook penetration (UAE, Bahrain and Qatar) have the lowest Internet Freedom rankings.
Figure 18: Internet Freedom Ranking and Facebook penetration in the Arab countries*
(plus Iran and Israel) (Dec. 2010)
UAE 45.38
6
Israel 42.93
Internet Freedom ranking (1=pervasive filtering, 20= no
20
Bahrain 34.27
7
Qatar 33.95
8
Libya 23.11
18
Lebanon 20.64
20
Tunisia 6
17.55
Kuwait 17.06
8
Jordan 16.68
18
Saudi Arabia 12.24
7
evidence of filtering
Palestine 10.76
17
FB penetration
Morocco 7.55
14
Oman 7.55
11
Egypt 5.49
20
Algeria 3.99
20
Iraq 1.26
20
Syria 1.07
8
Sudan 0.74
12.00
Yemen 0.74
7
Iran 0.17
5
0 10 20 30 40 50
* Excluding Somalia, Djibouti, Comoros and Mauritania (no data available on Internet freedom rankings)
3.5 Other Development Indices: To further exploring other factors that may affect Facebook usage patterns, we
compare country rankings in the Global Gender Gap Index,17 —developed by the World Economic Forum to benchmark
national gender gaps on economic, political, education- and health- based criteria—against the ratio of female to male
Facebook users in the Arab region. These did not correlate, as the percentage of female Facebook users varies across the
Arab region, while the Global Gender Gap Index seems to be rather consistent, except for Yemen). Overall, the Global
Gender Gap Index across the region is on the low side, with rankings—out of 134 countries—ranging from 103 (the UAE,
with the highest ranking in the region ) to 134 (Yemen, with the lowest ranking of all countries measured).
As with the DAI and income factors, the Human Development Index18 (HDI)—developed by the UNDP to measure
countries’ progress across the three dimensions of life expectancy, education and GDP per capita—also seems to correlate
with Facebook penetration rates, albeit with some notable exceptions (see Figure 19).
15
Ranking of 20 do not necessarily indicate a lack of filtering, but rather a lack of evidence of filtering.
16
http://opennet.net/research/profiles
17
WEP Global Gender Gap Report 2010
18
UNDP Human Development Report 2010
14 Arab Social Media Report Vol. 1, No. 1
15. Figure 19: Facebook Penetration Rates and Human Development Index in the Arab Countries*
(plus Iran and Israel) (Dec. 2010)
UAE 80.50
45.38
Israel 87.20
42.93
Bahrain 34.27
80.10
Qatar 80.30
33.95
Kuwait 77.10
20.64
Tunisia 68.30
17.55
Jordan 16.68
68.10
Saudi Arabia 75.20
12.24
Morocco 56.70
7.33
Egypt 62.00
5.49
Djibouti 40.20
5.24
FB penetration
Algeria 67.70
3.99
HDI (x100)
Libya 75.50
3.98
Syria 58.90
1.07
Comoros 42.80
0.90
Sudan 37.90
0.74
Yemen 43.90
0.74
Iran 70.20
0.17
0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00
* Excluding Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman and Somalia (no data available on HDI)
The use of Facebook and new social media tools is quickly catching on in the region.
This is mainly because of the large youth demographic that has shown a great
propensity for these tools.
Given this large youth population and their affinity for Facebook and other social
networking tools, the Arab countries with low Facebook penetration have room for
growth in these platforms and their associated applications.
Facebook Usage: Factors and Analysis 15
16. 4. Analysis
4.1 Regional Overview
• Rates of users joining Facebook (as a percentage of population) over the past year (2010) are higher in the Arab
region than in some of the countries with the highest Facebook penetrations in the world, indicating that the use of
Facebook and new social media tools is quickly catching on in the region. This is mainly because of the large youth
demographic that has shown a great propensity for these tools.
• Given this large youth population and their affinity for Facebook and other social networking tools, the Arab countries
with low Facebook penetration have room for growth in these platforms and their associated applications. The UAE is
the only country where user penetration exceeds the percentage of youth in the country, indicating a more mature
penetration of social networking in the country.
Variance in penetration across the Arab region depends on several factors:
• In countries with very high or very low Facebook penetration, DAI and income seem to be factors in the uptake or
adoption of Facebook. For example, the top three Arab countries in terms of Facebook penetration (UAE, Qatar and
Bahrain) all have high DAI rankings and high GDP per capita, although Bahrain’s GDP per capita is a bit low compared
with other GCC countries; meanwhile, some of the lowest ranking countries in terms of Facebook penetration (Yemen
and Iraq) also have very low GDP per capita and DAI rankings. However, in countries with medium penetration, other
factors seem to come into play. These are explored in the “country spotlights” below.
• Similarly, countries with high Facebook penetration rates also have high Internet penetration rates, although
not all countries with high Internet penetration have high Facebook penetration rates (Saudi Arabia and Oman,
for instance) indicating possible social or cultural barriers. And in two countries (Djibouti and Iraq), Facebook
penetration is actually higher than Internet penetration, indicating the popularity of mobile access, multiple users
of the same Internet account, or the utilization of Internet cafes for those who do not have Internet access in their
homes or workplaces.
• Countries with high Facebook penetration rates also have high Human Development Indices, although not all
countries with a high HDI necessarily have high Facebook penetration rates (e.g., Saudi Arabia and Libya).
• The average percentage of female Facebook users in the Arab region (roughly 30%) is well below the world average
of 54%. This is in line with the low levels of political and economic participation, and varying access to healthcare and
education in the Arab world, as reflected in the relatively low rankings of the Arab countries in the 2010 Global Gender
Gap report.
• Although there are variations in the percentages of youth in different Arab countries, young Facebook users
(between the ages of 15 and 29) consistently dominate across the board in all Arab countries, exceeding the
percentage of youth population. This indicates that they are main driving force behind the growing Facebook
penetration rate.
• Internet freedom does not seem to affect Facebook penetration in the Arab region. Some countries with lower
scores (i.e., more pervasive filtering) have relatively high Facebook penetration. This could be due to the creativity of
the youth population in finding ways to bypass filters and censors.
Generally, countries at either end of the Facebook penetration spectrum behave “predictably” when it comes to the
possible factors affecting their Facebook uptake (or lack thereof ). The “top performers” mostly have high GDP per capita,
high Internet penetration, high HDI and a high DAI (but low Internet Freedom rankings), while the “developing countries,”
for the most part, rank poorly in all these areas. For the “emerging countries,” on the other hand, these factors do not
necessarily correlate, indicating that there could be social, cultural and political factors as well, discussed below.
Internet freedom does not seem to affect Facebook penetration in the Arab region.
Some countries with lower scores (i.e., more pervasive filtering) have relatively high
Facebook penetration. This could be due to the creativity of the youth population in
finding ways to bypass filters and censors.
16 Arab Social Media Report Vol. 1, No. 1