North Africa took the international stage last year amidst revolutionary wars and groundbreaking protests during the Arab Spring. The major role played by social media as an initiator and primary tool for protestors was clearly demonstrated on Facebook and Twitter. However, a recent study conducted by SocialBakers, a social media analytics company, showed that a new use for social media has been largely embraced by the North Africa and Middle East region. A tidal wave of 10 million new users have joined the Facebook community since the beginning of 2012. This 29% growth was attributed to the host of media groups, e-commerce companies and airlines that have recognized the marketing potentials of the popular social media platform.
As exhibited in the study’s accompanying infographic, Egypt’s social media presence dominated Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, and Algeria (the other North African countries included in the study) with 11.9 million active Facebook users by November 2012. Check out the inforgraphic below for more interesting statistics about the current social media landscape in the region.
