"The report has two main parts. In the first part, we explore the questions discussed in the previous paragraphs [on the internet of things] through a regional survey spanning the 22 Arab countries. In the second part we continue the tradition set in the previous editions of the Arab Social Media Re
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port series by exploring the growth and usage trends of influential social media platforms across the region, including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and, for the first time, Instagram. The findings highlight important changes—and some stagnation—in the ways social media is infiltrating demographic layers in Arab societies, be it gender, age and language." (Introduction, page 8)
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"In this decade of digital transformation in the region, the Arab World stands at a critical juncture, where the internet is driving three interconnected waves of change: 1. A developmental juncture: The emergence of an online critical mass of 173 million interconnected people online today is creati
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ng new opportunities for economic growth, development, information flows, as well as cultural and societal exchanges; 2. A demographic tipping point: The millennial generation of “digital natives”, with its universal embrace for digitization, increasingly driving business opportunities and growth, acquiring more leadership positions in businesses and governments around the region, and becoming the driving force within most regional labour markets. Globally, 70% of the online community is comprised of youth. 3In the Arab world, nearly 65% of those using the internet are young people between 15 and 24 years old; 3. A governmental paradigmatic shift, where an increasing number of governments in the region are reaching advanced levels of digital maturity and adoption, and acquiring high level of sophistication and capacity for internet governance and digital transformation. Today, despite the numerous economic and developmental challenges, as well as violent conflicts and political tensions in the region, this critical mass of the population has become almost universally connected to the internet in an increasing number of countries. For example, in 2017 there are three countries with more than 90% internet penetration and 12 countries with more than 100% mobile phone penetration rates. According to our estimates, by 2020, usage of the internet is expected to reach universal adoption levels in at least 7 countries in the region." (Page 5)
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"Following the Arab Spring, the use of social media has become instrumental in organising activist movements and spreading political dissent in the Middle East. New online behaviours have transformed traditional communication channels, enabling young people of all backgrounds to feel politically emp
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owered. But now that spring has turned to winter, what are the long-term implications of internet activism in the region? Social Media in the Arab World provides a unique insight into the role of online communications as a force for change in the Gulf States. Featuring examples as diverse as neo-patrimonial politics in Saudi Arabia and the ways an online presence affects the status of women in Kuwait, the chapters examine shifts in the political, social and religious identities of citizens as a result of increased digital activism. With contributions from a variety of inter-disciplinary experts, this wide-ranging study examines the consequences of changing power dynamics brought about by popular social media." (Publisher description)
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"Our research indicates that today, there are more than 135 million individuals using the Internet in the 22 Arab countries. This is coupled with a mobile penetration rate of around 110 percent on a regional level; and more than 71 million active users of social networking technologies." (Page 1)
"The survey administered for this issue measures public attitudes and perceptions towards the adoption of social media by Arab governments for the purpose of public service delivery. Respondents were asked about their usage of government social media pages, their perceptions of benefits and risks in
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volve in using social media for service delivery, perceptions towards possible improvements in government’s use of social media, and government and civic social media practices. Overall, our findings show that perceptions about the use of social media were positive – 55% of respondents said they strongly support the use of social media by government for the design and delivery of public services. Respondents had high expectations of the benefits of using social media for citizen engagement for the purpose of improving service delivery. They agreed that social media made government entities and officials more accessible and collaboration more feasible." (Page 7)
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"This is the first collection to de-Westernize the scholarship on women, politics and media by: 1) highlighting the latest research on countries and regions that have not been ‘the usual suspects’; 2) featuring a diverse group of scholars, many of non-Western origin; 3) giving voice through pers
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onal interviews to politically active women, thus providing the reader with a rare insight into women's agency in the political structures of emerging democracies. Each chapter examines the complex women, politics and media dynamic in a particular nation-state, taking into consideration the specific political, historic and social context. With 23 case studies and interviews from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Russia and the former Soviet republics, this volume will be of interest to students, media scholars and policy makers from developed and emerging democracies." (Publisher description)
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"With more than 125 million individuals using the Internet in the Arab region, and more than 53 million actively using social networking technologies, the DSG Governance and Innovation Program in partnership with Bayt.com conducted a regional survey to examine internet usage trends in the Arab regio
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n. This white paper examines trends across four dimensions: 1. Access to the internet and internet-enabled devices, 2. Quality and quantity of time spent online, 3. Frequency of internet usage, 4. Attitudes and trends toward social media." (Page 1)
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"In this fourth issue of the report, we focus on exploring the societal and cultural transformations taking place in the Arab region, influenced by the continuing exponential growth of social media. In this edition of the report we provide regional statistics on more social networking platforms, in
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addition to Facebook and Twitter; including for the first time, analysis on LinkedIn. The findings of the regional survey provided here aims to measure emerging perceptions of social media users in the Arab World on identity and culture, a topic that is closely linked with several critical policy questions in the region, and begs for more research on a regional and individual society levels." (Overview, page 1)
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"To encourage smoking cessation, persuasive messages can be used to raise smokers' risk perception. This article discusses challenges and solutions in designing a study to evaluate the effect of two different communication strategies ("gains from quitting" vs. "losses from continuing smoking") in en
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couraging calls to a quitline. The authors conducted an intervention study in two subway stations for 4 weeks, considering only 1 strategy per station. Large posters containing non-age-specific images and texts, on the basis of the theme "shortness of breath," were displayed on central dividing columns on the boarding platforms. Call rates from the selected stations, and respective rate ratios, overall and per study week, were calculated. Passengers who were smokers, exposed to the positive-content message, called on average 1.7 times more often than did those exposed to the negative-content message (p = .01). Moreover, call rate ratios did not decline over the 4 weeks of the study (p = .40). The effectiveness findings suggest that antismoking campaigns could use positive-content messages in order to recruit a larger smoker population. The proposed methodology can also be used to evaluate effectiveness of messages for "capturing" individuals with other health problems (e.g., alcohol abuse), thereby increasing its potential impact." (Abstract)
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"This article studies the 2011 Arab uprisings as social movements for political reform and regime change. Social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, are perceived to be playing a central role in these events, which have even been described as ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter revolutions’. Using
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diffusion theory, this article examines the role of social media and the extent to which they can be credited for the emergence and achievement of the goals of the uprisings. It argues that while social media played important facilitation roles in terms of inter- and intra-group communication as well as information dissemination, mainstream mass media are still highly relevant to the process. However, the success or failure of the uprisings largely depends on domestic factors and broader geopolitical contexts. This article demonstrates that the use of social media in the Arab uprisings has significant implications for diffusion theory in terms of contact and identity among the social movements involved." (Abstract)
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"The Arab Social Media Report (ASMR), produced by the Dubai School of Government’s Governance and Innovation Program, is the first in a quarterly series that will highlight and analyze usage trends of online social networking across the Arab region. In its inaugural edition, the report analyzes da
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ta on Facebook users in all 22 Arab countries, in addition to Iran and Israel. This is part of a larger research initiative focusing on social engagement through ICT for better policy in Arab states, which explores the use of social networking services in governance, entrepreneurship promotion and social inclusion. The initiative also studies the potential of Web 2.0 applications for increasing collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation, both between and among government entities, citizens and the private sector." (Page 1)
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"The report analyzes data on Twitter and Facebook users in all 22 Arab countries, in addition to Iran, Israel and Turkey, highlighting the role they played in the civil movements that swept the region during that period. This is part of a larger research initiative focusing on social engagement thro
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ugh ICT for better policy in Arab states, which explores the use of social networking services in governance, social inclusion and entrepreneurship promotion. The initiative also studies the potential of social networking applications for increasing collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation, both between and among government entities, citizens and the private sector." (Overview, page 1)
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"En dix ans la profession de journaliste est devenue un métier de premier plan - La formation d'un Institut de presse y a contribué pour beaucoup." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 241, topic code 110.1, 163.1)
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"Les films à caractère non commercial (scolaire entre autres) se heurtent au problème de la liberté de circulation qui peut se ramener à celui du contrôle qui s'exerce sur une oeuvre cinématographique et en restreint ou en empêche la diffusion — Plus le contrôle est rigoureux, plus la cir
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culation d'un film risque d'être entravée — L'auteur ne fait pas que relater cet état de fait, il propose des solutions telles que l'introduction de certaines réformes au sujet de la circulation des films hors commerce, réforme de la censure, réforme de la législation douanière libérant l'importation des films culturels et des films de ciné-clubs de toute taxe, et cela à l'échelle des divers pays arabes — L'auteur souligne particulièrement la nécessité d'une réelle prise de conscience au niveau des autorités responsables — Le problème soulevé est primordial dans la lutte pour le développement." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 2045, topic code 332)
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"Télévision et cinéma au Liban: Considérations générales (développement de la télévision, le public, la programmation) — Contribution de la télévision à la culture (part des programmes culturels, films étrangers et films libanais, folklore et télévision, théâtre, émissions à pr
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occupation didactique, variétés, politique — Essai de bilan) — Note sur la télévision et le cinéma dans les pays arabes: I. Généralités — T.V. et cinéma en R.A.U. (T.V., cinéma et culture) — Les auteurs soulignent au début de leur article que leur but n'est pas exhaustif, et c'est ainsi qu'à partir de données et informations statistiques, et après avoir traité les points énumérés ci-dessus, qu'ils tendent de tirer des conclusions diverses dans la partie finale de cette étude." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 1541, topic code 310.1, 410.1)
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"Situation de la radio au Liban spécialement développement, missions et problèmes de la radio scolaire, depuis le début de 1962. L'auteur est Chef du Département des émissions étrangères." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels:
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CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 2044, topic code 321, 210.0)
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