The nature of Arab public discourse: Social media and the ‘Arab Spring’

Abstract

This article focuses on the use and significance of social media in the Arab region, particularly among Arab journalists within the context of the events known as ‘the Arab Spring’. Besides describing the social media tools preferred by the public and by Arab media professionals, the article assesses the relative use and trust of new versus old media tools. The article also explores the relationship between the use of social media in the Arab region and the political and social uprisings in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Syria. The main research question is: what is the relation between social media and Arab discourse in these countries? The article uses a multi-method approach, combining survey data with qualitative data from interviews. Surveys were distributed to 1000 people across the UAE, and 789 surveys were received back. The interviews were drawn from Arab media experts from various media organizations in the relatively understudied UAE. The research concludes that, although social media cannot be said to have been the sole cause for social change, certain social media outlets have indeed complemented old media and served as a catalyst for the uprisings that have swept several Arab states in the Middle East.