Based on a recent study conducted by PeerReach.com, Saudi Arabia tops the chart in Twitter penetration per country that is 32 percent of the Saudi’s online population is active monthly users of the microblogging site. The Kingdom is followed by Indonesia and Spain both with less than 20 percent penetration.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia is the fastest-growing Twitter market in the world, according to GlobalWebIndex and statistics from the Dubai School of Government show that 29 percent of the tweets generated in the Middle East are from Saudi Arabia.
These figures raise one’s curiosity as to what is the reason for Saudi’s fixation with Twitter.
Before we proceed, let’s take a moment to reflect on these numbers. These studies show that a large number of Saudi’s are active on Twitter and the number is increasing. Is there any impact of this on our society? How does it influence us? Simply put, it is meaningless to judge whether it is good or bad to be at the top of the listing. These studies only focus on quantity not quality. What Saudis do on Twitter is a different debate and would need more studies to better understand Twitter’s influence on the country and its people.
Now let’s get back to our core question: What did the Saudis find in Twitter that made it so appealing? I guess there are two reasons.
First, it allows one to speak one’s mind and yet find an audience. This is something not unique to the Saudi users, the ease of use and freedom to tweet on anything could be the reason behind the popularity of Twitter itself. In the Kingdom, this freedom has its own taste. While most of Twitter users around the world are using the platform to chronicle their own daily activities, to form communities around shared interests like music, art, sports, or even political views, Saudi tweets are so diverse, strongly opinionated, and charged with political and religious views. The arguments on Saudi Twitterverse are so intense, the hashtags are so dramatic, and there is nothing easier than spreading a rumor as an absolute fact. An incident in Mozambique could find its way to the Saudi Twitterverse, and within seconds, there will be hashtags, people taking sides, over analyzing the situation, and attacking each other.
The voice Saudis found on Twitter has enabled them to bring to the fore many of their daily struggles, they way they perceive themselves and others, the deep-rooted fears and dreams.
The second possible reason for Twitter’s popularity among the Saudis is somewhat unique to the Saudi culture. It is the freedom to interact with the opposite sex. I know that this reason seems hard to digest especially for those not familiar with the Saudi social structure, but its validity cannot be discarded. With the strict social norms in segregating between sexes in Saudi, being able to discuss your favorite sports club with hundreds of strange male and female fans, for some, is a thrill that cannot be experienced beyond the cyberspace.
Now, will Twitter continue to thrive in Saudi Arabia or will the novelty wear off over time? Will it change how Saudis work and interact in the long run or it is nothing but a temporary phenomenon. We have to wait and watch.
