In a recent study done by the blog Portland, Egypt and Morocco ranked 4th and 5th, respectively, in Africa for number of twitter users. Egypt tallied 1,214,000 tweeters, while Morocco recorded 745,000. In all of Africa, 68% of people said they used twitter primarily to monitor news and events in their region. In contrast to much of the West, however, most of those who use twitter in Africa are in their twenties. This highlights the overriding youth moment in media technology that is sweeping across much of Northern Africa.
As social media becomes a bigger and bigger platform for dialogue to take place, young adults throughout Northern Africa are using there mobile phones as a way to communicate with the rest of the world. Adding to this young average age is the surprising discovery only a very small percent of public figures in North Africa use twitter. Those who do, however, have attracted very large followings, as the activists of North Africa hope to begin to use twitter as a means to engage in dialogue with their regions most influential leaders. As twitter has begun to play a larger and larger role in the liberation of Egypt and other North African countries, Africans are beginning to flock by the masses to the social media network as a means to more closely connect the people of Africa and to eventually progress the continent further into the digital age.
Sources:
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2012/02/25246/morocco-5th-most-active-twitter-user-in-africa/
http://www.portland-communications.com/publications/the-quarterly-issue-6/how-africa-tweets/
It’s great to know that social media has an effect on social and political aspects in other countries than our own. It is a very powerful source in that it is easy to use and engages users, keeping them satisfied and interested. Anything that keeps citizens properly informed is a good system.
While I am just a little surprised that Twitter is so popular in Africa, I am not that surprised to see which countries are the heaviest users. In recent past, I hear a lot about these countries and it seems like they are fairly modernized, qualifying social media as a reasonable source.
Places like this need leaders who care for the people, and reaching out to those people via social media is a very effective way to show that certain politicians are the right people for the job. Hopefully this works out well for Africa, mitigating warlords and promoting social freedom.
I am not surprise to see that the majority of the twitter users in Africa are in their 20s because the teens are the main consumer group in many countries around the world. It is really good to see that people use social media like twitter as a tool to connect with the rest of the world because social media have fairly neutral and multi-aspect information. There is a danger regard to this as well, since twitter is not a professional platform where people can post whatever they want, it is easy for a rumor to start and for the crowd to buy it.
This article was pretty surprising to me because I did not know Twitter was such a huge part of life in both Egypt and Morocco. I knew that Twitter had a huge role in the over-through of the Egyptian government but I did not know it was such a popular platform for everyday use. I think that Twitter is helping globalize our world. It is great that people are able to share their thoughts and feeling about their lives and government over social media. Twitter is such a great way to unite people who would otherwise be separate or divided. The more these countries are able to use social media, the more educated they become on national issues, which is what leads to change. Social media is the spark that these developing nations need to ignite the fire of reform.
Twitter is a global form of communication, thus it’s presence in Africa doesn’t surprise me. This recent study that focused in on the Egypt and Moroccan usage in Twitter truly exhibits how well Twitter can be used an incredible source of communication and expression of self. The most important piece to this study though is that the most predominant of the users are in their twenties. This information depicts that our Generation-Y is the one that is taking control on the online presence. It’s a common thread shared among our generation, regardless of the location. Twitter helps us come together and comment on the same news and share our different perspectives and how can compare and contrast our view of the world together. This study emphasizes the positive impact that our youth all around the world poses. The predominance of Twitter sweeping through Northern Africa truly depicts how well media technology is coming into a social and worldwide change. Overall, I believe that Twitter has the power to bring all of us together in the world and let’s us bring light to different events in the world.
It is very interesting that many of the users of people using Twitter in Egypt and Morocco are in their 20s. I wonder if teens do not have as much access to social media sites because in the United States, there are numerous people in both their teens and 20s that use Twitter a great deal. Because these two countries are ranked so high in the number of people who use Twitter, it makes me believe that they are advancing with technology. It is interesting to know that they still use Twitter even with their media restrictions and I believe it is a good thing. Hopefully citizens are able to write what they want without fear of prosecution by the government. Clearly social media is a rising source of media and many countries in the world have to worry about what they write. When looking at the map that is posted, it is interesting the countries that are ranked higher than Morocco and Egypt, surpass them by a great deal. It looks like South Africa has the majority of people tweeting. I never thought about how many people are using Twitter in Africa and it is interesting to see how many do.
It is really cool to see something like twitter, which started in the United States, being utilized all over the world. It is awesome how twitter has a big impact on Africa by keeping the public informed about current events occurring in their area. The purpose of twitter was just designed to have people talk about their thoughts in 140 characters or less, but now it is also used as a political tool in Africa. The other great thing about twitter in Africa is that the younger generations use this app, and I believe that if you want change in a country, it has to start from the younger generations because they will then grow up to be the leaders in the future. This blog had awesome information, and it is going to be to interesting to see in the future the other roles twitter will play in Africa.
I truly believe that Egypt’s chances for freedom lay with the success of social media in that country. Its obvious that much of the turmoil has sparked because of social media, but the majority of citizens want it and not to mention an entire generation. I think all the countries in Northern Africa should look to ways in which they can effectively use social media to engage in political discussion. Now this is a lot to ask for, I know, and it contradicts what many government officials are seeking for in social media. I just can’t think of any country progressing and modernizing without an infrastructure that allows citizens to connect to one another like social media does.
I think that the fact that Egypt’s social media population is refreshing. We are in the 21st century and should be up to date in the latest trends, especially those that are extremely usefull in connecting groups of people together. The more that political leaders use Twitter, the more connected Egypt will feel. There is no longer the morning breaking news. We live in a world where breaking news can be seen at any time during the day in a matter of seconds. The use of Twitter will be very beneficial for all political leaders, not just those in Egypt. I think that because younger people are more invovled in the social media world, we are ones to be reckoned with. Those that do not engage in social media have a serious disadvantage. Social media is not used for purely entertainment values. It is a source that provides political and economic news world wide. Those that still believe as you grow, you become more valued of a person because you have more life experiences. Well those life experiences are not going to be substantial enough. Everyone needs to be in the know now through social media. Professionally and socially, it is the only way that you will survive our society.
Social Media has been such a turning point for countries in and around this region. Particularly interesting that the vast majority is such a young demographic, but it makes sense with the times. Looking at the Arab Spring, it’s really no wonder these governments and regimes are scrambling to block and censor sites and social networks like Twitter. I’m curious to see how this will affect the future structures of these countries, politically and socially. What we’ve seen is probably just a taste of what’s yet to come. Does the internet and social media create democracy? Time will tell.
As those who commented before me stated, I too am pleasantly surprised with how widely used Twitter and other social media websites are in Egypt and Morocco. If I had to guess, I would say this is a fairly new phenomenon that is only just beginning to rise in popularity. One can tell this is the case due to the age of the social media users, the majority of them falling within their twenties. This overriding youth movement in North Africa is especially heartwarming to me. It is great to know that there are people combating violence with words instead of more fists in these countries. It’s also demonstrates the need for rising public figures to turn to these new technologies in order to reach new audiences and larger populations. Lastly, I find it in some way ironic that a social media website that was created in the United States of America is being used to fuller potentials in other, more impoverished countries. It’s kind of sad when you think about it that a majority of Twitter users in North America rely on the website more for gossip than staying connecting with the news and even bettering their own lives.
I thought the map in this post was very interesting. To me, I was actually surprised by how many people in Africa are actually using Twitter and social media. If you were to ask me before seeing this, I would’ve guess much lower. I figured there wouldn’t be as great of access to networks and internet and mobile devices. That being said, I think it is great that social media usage is on the rise in these countries. I think it is a great aid to stay updated on current happenings, communicate with others, and express your opinions in a public forum. For the countries in Africa that are still experiencing violence and fighting, I think this is a valuable tool for political and freedom purposes. It makes me think about the KONY movement that happened two years ago. As we discussed in class, this is a region Twitter hashtags and tweets. I can’t imaging living without my phone and social networks. I would feel very disconnected and uninformed so I think this is great for the development of Africa as a continent.
I think this article is especially interesting and eye opening. As an American who grew up in the west sometimes I just assume that all people have access to internet, social media and other technologies that I have been raised on and have always had access to. It is interesting to see these statistics and just to realize that technology is still something that other people of the world are just getting used. When thinking about African I really do separate the North from the rest because, in my opinion, places like Morocco and Egypt have had many outside influences from both the Middle East and Europe. Since social media has played a significant role in Egypt due to uprisings in the past I find it interesting that young people are now realizing the phenomena of social media and incorporating it into their lives. I do believe this is a step in the right direction because social media is a very powerful tool for social change and justice. People will have more of an opportunity to connect with one another and also have the chance to see what other countries are talking about and doing.