Radcliffe, DamianLam, Amanda2018-02-142018-02-142018-02Damian Radcliffe, Amanda Lam, 2018, Social Media in the Middle East: The Story of 2017; Key developments, stories and research findings , University of Oregon, https://doi.org/10.7264/N31J9849.https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2303623 pagesThis report is the six in a series of annual reports which captures key developments and data related to usage of social media in the Middle East. The past year has seen the continued growth of visual-led social networks, with Snapchat and Instagram becoming increasingly popular, especially among Arab Youth and affluent smartphone owners in countries like Saudi Arabia. Facebook usage among Arab Nationals has declined, but use of their overall products (which include Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram) continues to grow. In a year where political tensions in Iran, and between Qatar and many of its neighbors, have enjoyed international coverage, this story has played out on social media too. This report highlights these developments, as well as the rise of social media influencers, alongside charting the continued popularity of video, social media as a source for news and the increased usage of mobile messaging apps.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USSocial mediaSocial networkingArab SpringArab WorldMiddle EastMiddle East and North AfricaFacebookTwitterInstagramWhatsAppMobileYouTubeMedia habitsMedia consumptionSocial newsNetwork societyArticlehttps://doi.org/10.7264/N31J9849