Amid concerns about online privacy, social media use in the Middle East is shifting away from Twitter and Facebook and toward direct-messaging platforms such as Snapchat and WhatsApp. According to a study released by Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), in partnership with Doha Film Institute, video-centric Snapchat is now among the most popular platforms in the high-bandwidth Gulf countries.
The survey reveals that the use of Instagram across the region increased by 24 percent between 2013 and 2016, and Facebook’s popularity declined in the last three years by 6 percent. Twitter showed the biggest decline over the past three years—17 percent—with a 12 percent point drop from just one year ago. Three-quarters of Egyptian internet users say that concerns about privacy have changed the way they use social media, second only to the 89 percent of Saudis who say the same.
The study also sheds new light on the shift from TV to online video stating that daily TV viewing dropped in Egypt by 7 percent, Saudi Arabia by 16 percent and Qatar by 21 percent. However, television remains the platform of choice in the Middle East for watching films—90 percent say they watch films on TV. While most in the region now watch film and video online, fewer than 5 percent have paid money to do so in the past year.
“This survey provides significant insight into the ways in which media and entertainment is consumed across the Middle East, revealing cultural and political attitudes of the Arab world. As the concept of media continues to change in this ever-connected digital world, our survey provides insight into how people are connecting and interacting today,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO of NU-Q.
The Pan-Arab media industry is growing faster than the economy, at about 19 percent per year with both online and offline channels experiencing rapid expansion. “This collaborative study provides a unique and valuable insight into the mindset of this region’s most important demographic: its young people. The findings also highlight the tremendous potential for growth of new media channels, as Middle Eastern governments move their economies away from dependence on natural resources to developing knowledge-based economies, and media in particular is a priority sector,” shared Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO, Doha Film Institute.
The region is divided on whose responsibility it is to block objectionable content. More nationals in Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia believe it is the responsibility of governments to block objectionable content, while majorities in the UAE, Lebanon, and Tunisia believe it is the responsibility of the individual to avoid such content. The most evenly divided country is Saudi Arabia, where 50 percent believe responsibility lies with the government and 43 percent believe it lies with the individual. The biggest disparity is in Egypt, where only 30 percent believe it is the responsibility of the individual, compared to 66 percent who believe it is the responsibility of the government to block objectionable content.
