Social media usage in the Middle East and North Africa - statistics & facts

Social media platforms in the UAE

   YouTube has grown over the recent years to become the most popular social network platform in the UAE, exceeding Facebook in the share of users. YouTube has evolved to more of a social media platform, rather than a streaming service like Netflix. YouTtube users can interact on videos, make community posts, and create user-generated content. However, Facebook is expected to remain a strong platform for many years to come. Several popular brands use their Facebook profiles to reach out to fans and provide them with unique offers and messages. Nonetheless, Facebook still faces fierce competition from Instagram, which attracts the younger age groups, especially teenagers. TikTok has also gained huge popularity among younger generations, and is expected to reach around 2.5 million users by 2025.

Social media: beyond staying connected

   Social media has grown into more than just platforms for people to connect online, it is integrated more than ever into users’ daily lives. In the UAE, the majority of respondents reported that their main online activity was watching videos. Users are accessing social media as their primary news source and as a search engine. Another development that has emerged is social commerce, in which consumers can browse and purchase items via their social media accounts. Even if the purchase is not executed via the social media account, brands are well aware of the importance of social media advertising. In the UAE, the share of audience that marketers can reach using social media adverts in 2021 was the highest among the age group of 25-34-year-olds at about 14.5 percent for females, and 32.9 percent for males. Nowadays, many businesses prioritize their social media presence to engage with consumers and promote products, and procuring influencers to market products is becoming more and more essential for businesses marketing strategies.

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