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Social Media and the Middle East: Promise and Peril Saeed A. Khan Wayne State University

Social Media and the Middle East: Promise and Peril Saeed A. Khan Wayne State University. The Arab Spring. Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt (Feb. 2011). End of the Arab Spring. Cairo, Egypt (Summer 2013). Social Media Penetration in the Middle East .

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Social Media and the Middle East: Promise and Peril Saeed A. Khan Wayne State University

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  1. Social Media and the Middle East: Promise and PerilSaeed A. KhanWayne State University

  2. The Arab Spring Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt (Feb. 2011)

  3. End of the Arab Spring Cairo, Egypt (Summer 2013)

  4. Social Media Penetration in the Middle East • 164 Million monthly users in Arab world (2018) • 56 Million in 2013 • Egypt- biggest market • (24 million daily; 37 million monthly mobile) • Saudi Arabia- highest annual growth rate (32%) • Twitter: <30% • YouTube: 160% growth • SnapChat: 12 million daily • Saudi Arabia: 9 million (total population: 32 million) • UAE: 1 million • Instagram: Primary vehicle for small businesses • 63% of Arab youth look first to Twitter or Facebook for news

  5. Arab SMI’s

  6. SMI: Rich Guys with Pets

  7. The Arab Spring

  8. SMI: Cosmetics

  9. Platform or (Bully) Pulpit? • Sondos Al Qattan • Kuwaiti Beauty Vlogger • 2.4 million followers on Instgram • Criticized Kuwaiti law enacted to protect rights of Filipino workers

  10. “Benign” Social Media “Regulations” • Egypt • Anyone with >5000 followers can be monitored by govt • Websites must be licensed by govt • 40% South Asian, Anglo-European, African & Hispanic • 20% Arab • UAE • Social Media Influencers (SMI) must obtain license @ $4000/year

  11. Top 6 Countries with Most Restricted Internet • China • Vietnam • Turkey • UAE • Iran • Egypt

  12. Iran • 2017: Iran bans Telegram • App used by protesters, run by exiled journalist Roohallah Zain • 40 million on Telegram in Iran • Total population: 80 million

  13. Chats on Hold

  14. Turkey • Pres. Reccep Tayyip Erdogan • 2016: Shut down Social media sites during attempted coup • Routinely closes internet sites, e.g. What’sApp, Facebook, Periscope, YouTube,Twitter, etc. • Shutdowns under guise of policing politically sensitive and offensive content, e.g. insulting President • July 24, 2019: Shut down social media after rumor that he’d suffered heart attack and died

  15. Casualty of Erdogan • “M.D. • Lawyer from Manisa • Jailed for insulting Pres. Erdogan on social media • Sentenced to 1-4 years in prison 36,664 investigated in 2018 for insulting Erdogan, Turkish nation or government officials

  16. Another Erdogan Casualty • Busra Erdal • Columnist, Social Media Journalist • 2017: Jailed under charges of membership in a terrorist organization (FETO), Fetullah Gulen group

  17. Israeli Security • Ben Gurion Airport, Lod, Israel • Inspection of Cell Phone, including all social media accounts AND email accounts

  18. The Dangers of Poetry • Dareen Tatour • Palestinian poet, activist • Posted “Resist, My People” on YouTube • Jailed for 5 months for “incitement to violence” after 3 years under house arrest • One of 350 arrested in 2018 under incitement to violence charge

  19. Criminalizing Communication • Israeli govt, under Ministry for Strategic Affairs, files complaints with Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube to shut down sites, especially Palestinian and/or activist sites • Crime to film security action against Palestinians

  20. Egypt • March 2019: Supreme Media Regulatory Council authorized to block websites and accounts for “fake news,” i.e. criticism of regime

  21. United Arab Emirates • Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, Dubai • 2019: Coded warning to Emiratis on social media (including former police chief, Dhahi Khalfan), warning against spreading “misinformation” to attract followers that would ”imperil UAE’s reputation abroad” • Heavily policed and restricted internet access and govt surveillance of search engine inquiries

  22. Jamal Khashoggi • Jamal Khashoggi • Saudi journalist based in US at Washington Post • Critic of Saudi regime • October, 2018: suspected murder victim at Saudi Consulate, Istanbul • US intelligence agencies suspect murder authorized by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

  23. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) • De facto ruler of Saudi Arabia • Allegedly proposing sweeping reforms and liberalization of kingdom • Suspected of ordering Khashoggi’s murder • April 2019: 7 journalists, writers and academics jailed (part of 13 placed on travel ban) for criticizing regime

  24. Social Media Dangers in Saudi Arabia • Raif Badawi • Saudi Blogger • 2012: Arrested for insulting Islam through electronic channels • Sentenced to 7 years prison and 600 lashes • Currently, still detained

  25. Social Media Dangers in Saudi Arabia • Loujain Alhathloul • Saudi Social Media and Women’s Rights Activist • 2018: Detained for advocating women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia • Suspected of being tortured while in prison; currently still detained

  26. Consequences of Vlogging Arrested after posting crop midriff/skirt pic at ancient fort in Saudi Arabia

  27. Not Just in the Middle East… • Ismail Aijawi • Palestinian from Lebanon • Admitted into Harvard • Refused entry at Boston Logan Airport after TSA inspected his phone and objected to posts by his friends on his FB page • Ultimately admitted after Harvard (in time to matriculate) and political intervention

  28. Big Brother and “Family”…

  29. The Oracle of the Oracle Age

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