How Twitter shapes public opinion In Saudi Arabia
Saudi focus Hashtag’s Abdullah Alliefan looks at what makes Saudi Twitter users unique, and outlines how to connect with them
Saudis love Twitter. We always hear that. Maybe all the people in the Gulf use Twitter often, but the Saudis have seen a real Twitter revolution, which put them on top of the list of the highest number of Twitter users in the world in 2013. The rise continued until 2015 or 2016, while Snapchat and Instagram also grew in popularity. Twitter is also among the most popular social platforms in the GCC countries, according to Alexa Global Indexes.
So why do Saudis use Twitter? When did it start, and why is Twitter still important to Saudis?
Prior to 2010, Twitter in Saudi Arabia had not gained the momentum it has today. Over the last decade, it has become the preferred social platform for Saudis. This may be due to the advantages of speed, brevity, interaction and freedom of expression, compared with traditional media and the rest of social networks. There are those who tweet to express themselves; some browse to follow their interests and others like Twitter because of the volume of interactions and content it offers. In the same context, the economic factor cannot be overlooked,
Twitter is no longer only a means of entertainment in Saudi Arabia, as it is in some other countries. Some tweets raise controversy over social issues. Twitter in Saudi Arabia tends to act as a court where the public can discuss and debate a variety of different topics and issues.
The advantages of speed, spread and hashtags are more visible on Twitter compared with Instagram, Facebook or any other social media platform, which makes it ideal for launching campaigns and publishing breaking news, which may explain its popularity. In Saudi Arabia, if any individual has an incident with another individual or a government entity and decides to tweet about it, it can quickly escalate and reach many citizens, which then puts pressure on the responsible party to take action. That’s why all the governmental ministries and authorities have official T witter accounts to engage with citizens.
About 79 per cent of Twitter users confirmed that using it to get news is much easier than other social networks, and that they were able to get a great deal of news after joining Twitter. 40 per cent use it to get breaking news. Twitter is the modern-day newspaper in Saudi Arabia. That’s what led the old traditional local newspapers to have their own Twitter accounts.
Twitter has a set of tools for tweeting, commenting, following and publishing with text, images and as videos, which has created a wide space for expression in Saudi Arabia, resulting in a number of phenomena that exceeded the limits of the ‘personal account’.
Among the most prominent new changes and positive transformations in the Saudi media scene today are: consolidation of the public sphere; prioritising issues; interaction with the next generation; knowing the trends of Saudi public opinion; and government tweets.
Twitter is a great marketing tool for a number of reasons It is free to use for sharing and promoting branded content in seconds, expanding your reach, providing quick customer service and support, and analysing
‘‘Twitter in Saudi Arabia tends to act as a court where the public can discuss and debate a variety of different topics and issues.’’
your competitors and their marketing content to see the tactics they use.
Now that we’ve reviewed what makes the platform unique, let’s cover the ways in which you can use Twitter for your business. These tips will help you boost conversions, create lasting relationships with your followers and improve your brand awareness:
1. Choose your words wisely to ensure your bio successfully represents your brand and reflects who you are as a company.
2. They’re a great way to increase the visibility of your content beyond your own followers. There are many popular hashtags that most active Twitter users are familiar with. Only use hashtags that are relevant to your content. Also, look at the trending box every day. 3.
4. Engaging with your followers on Twitter is imperative to keep consumers interested in your brand.
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But never buy followers.
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Tweet at the right times of the day.
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Use Twitter’s analytics tools and focus on engagement, impressions and engagement rate.
The weeks-long drama became one of the most popular topics on the internet, with viewership almost equally split among those who watched to be entertained and those who watched out of genuine interest. The real driver of this story, however, was people’s vocal and often misguided opinions that were ubiquitously shared across every possible medium and platform.
Videos of the trial were watched by millions, generating twice, if not more, the amount of parody or remixed footage. Thousands of articles and blogs were written to weigh in on the matter, irrespective of authors’ lack of credentials to deal with such a sensitive subject. If anything, this trial was a social experiment and a further consolidation of the internet’s indomitable influence on our mindsets.
The result? Social media algorithms, fulfilling their roles to a T, kept feeding us stories about the trial, creating a cycle of distractions and engagements that occupied our minds. This not only produced the most powerful viral sensation in recent history but also shed an even brighter light on people’s need to be part of conversations, whether out of relevance or to generate viewership and interactions.
The Depp v Heard trial is already regarded as a case study on what people are capable of online without the direct involvement of communicators to seed a story. However, on the off chance that such a situation would present itself again, communication professionals and strategists should be reminded that all they can do is sit back, leave their hubris at the door, and take notes on human psychology in the digital era.