Details

The Arab Social Media Report, 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 specific networking tools across the Arab region. In its inaugural edition, the report analyzes data on Facebook users in all 22 Arab countries, in addition to Iran and Israel. It 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. The initiative studies the potential of Web 2.0 applications for increasing collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation by fostering inclusiveness and participation, both between and among government, citizens and the private sector.

Toward this end, the Arab Social Media Report will aim to inform a better understanding of the impact of social media on development and growth in the Arab region by exploring the following:

• What are the penetration trends of social networking services in the Arab region?
• What is the growth rate, and what is the demographic and gender breakdown?
• What factors affect the adoption of these tools in different Arab countries (e.g., income, youth population, digital access, Internet freedom, etc.)?
• What is the impact of these phenomena on citizen engagement and social inclusion?
• What is the impact of the new social networking dynamics and services on innovation and entrepreneurship?

This report, along with supplementary charts and information, is available at http://www.ArabSocialMediaReport.com.