Twitter's Saudi Stronghold: More Than Activism
(PRWEB) December 06, 2013 -- Twitter continues to dominate Saudi Arabian social media usage, a trend that has tech watchers scratching their heads. But social media expert Denae Olberding of local SEO firm EverSpark Interactive says Twitter's popularity with Saudis can be explained by simple everyday needs.
Twitter was instrumental in coordinating political demonstrations during 2011's Arab Spring movement. Since then, experts have been quick to attribute the platform's popularity to political needs (CNN, 11.21.2013). Olberding says that's only part of the picture.
“Saudi Arabia has far more Twitter activity than any of its neighbors,” said Olberding, whose work includes understanding social media trends to deliver effective marketing campaigns. “Egypt has also seen rapid political change, but they don't even come close to tweeting as much as.”
Twitter lags behind Facebook in Saudi Arabia in terms of users, just as it does in most other regions. But Olberding says the gap is much smaller there.
“We've actually seen Facebook use decline even as Twitter use has doubled in Saudi Arabia,” she said.
Olberding says there's a clear explanation for the trend.
“Cell phones,” she said. “Saudi Arabia literally has more than two mobile phones per citizen. It's much easier to tweet on a cell phone.”
About EverSpark:
EverSpark Interactive is an all-in-one SEO, marketing and online media firm that specializes in creating gripping, keyword-laden copy that will attract attention from both search engines and live customers. The company can be reached at (770) 481-1766.
Denae Olberding, EverSpark Interactive, http://www.eversparkinteractive.com, +1 (770) 481-1769, [email protected]
Share this article