Abstract
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most active countries in social media, as it is leading the world in the number of active users on Snapchat and on the way to top the number of users on Instagram. Recently, many local and Arab influencers have launched accounts on social media platforms to create urban awareness among the public, which makes it a new phenomenon that needs to be studied.
This research aims to study the impact of social media platforms and applications on urban awareness in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The research used the methodology of a descriptive exploratory approach through reviewing the literature related to this matter and then studying the components that make up this phenomenon: which is the content, the content’s makers, and recipients of this content. And by conducting open interviews with influencers, followed by a questionnaire targeting the followers of these influential accounts.
The research concluded that social media has a strong and positive impact on urban awareness among Saudi Arabia’s society. The most important factors to keep followers and raise their numbers are the simplicity of the content, its comprehensiveness, novelty, and presentation style. The main drives to keep influencers delivering their educational content are their passion and love of their profession and the positive interactions of their followers.
Recommended Citation
Bahij, Nahar and Alghamdi, Mohammad
(2020)
"Social Media Impact on Urban Awareness in Saudi Arabia: An Empirical Study,"
Emirates Journal for Engineering Research: Vol. 26:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uaeu.ac.ae/ejer/vol26/iss1/2
Included in
Architectural Engineering Commons, Architectural Technology Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Social Media Commons