Residents in the Kingdom are more likely to interact over the Internet or through social networking sites rather than over the phone or in person.

A recent social media survey, carried out among residents in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt, revealed that 52 percent of respondents choose to interact with one another over the Internet rather than face to face, while 51 percent choose to communicate with companies through social networks rather than making phone calls.

The survey was conducted by marketing agency Performics Mena.

“Social media like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube give the residents in the Kingdom an opportunity to communicate without the strict censorship..,” says Ahmed Refat, a social media consultant based in Riyadh.

“For those interested in politics, for instance, sharing their views in public about a certain political topic can be a very serious matter, but, online, people use Twitter and other social networking sites as a safer platform to express their views freely.”

Refat says social media is the strongest platform in today’s world. “It is usually assumed that the younger generation is more inclined to communicating online rather than in person. However, in the case of adults, communicating through social media, I think, is just a fascinating tool to use.”

The survey also found that social media today acts as an essential part in people’s lives across the Middle East, showing that over 60 percent of respondents have more than two social media accounts and 60 percent admitting that they are daily visitors of social networks. In all, 85 percent of those who participated in the survey were found to have at least one social media account.

Saudi Arabia has more active Twitter users than any other Arab country and the second most Facebook users in the region next to Egypt.

As far as content is concerned, 70 percent of the sample survey revealed that they were attracted to posts that included pictures, 58 percent to video, and 52 percent prone to clicking on jokes or memes.

“An increasing number of customers today are turning to social media rather than making a phone call to customer service to report their complaints, make enquiries and communicate with companies,” says Hani Mohammed, e-marketing specialist.

“Customers who follow companies or businesses on social networking sites are usually the early birds to hear about sales and special deals while other customers get to know later.”