The leaders in the Middle East have realized that Social Media is one of the potential mediums to reach out to their people. The Arab
Spring has resulted in proactive monitoring of Social Networks by the governments.
A few leaders have set up channels to interact with people on these online networks.
Some of the leading personalities in the region are Jordan's Queen Rania, UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed and Qatar’s HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al Missned and Egypt’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei
A graph below details the “Facebook Fan” followings of political personalities in the region: -
|
Leader |
Facebook Fans |
Country |
| 965,031 | Jordan | |
| 524,638 | Egypt | |
| 578,227 | UAE | |
| 57,101 | Qatar | |
| 30,502 | Saudi | |
| 28,127 | Oman |
Some of the leaders are also active on Twitter, which acts more like an Information Network than a Social Network.
|
Leader |
Twitter Followers |
Country |
| 2,062,447 | Jordan | |
| 809,575 | UAE | |
| 553,233 | Egypt |
While there is no consensus on the utility of this medium and its impact, one thing is clear: “why” is no longer the question. It’s just “how”.
