Social Networks: Credibility On The Rise

Social Networks Are Gaining More And More Confidence And Popularity As Time Goes By

No one could have ever imagined that the social networks such as Facebook and Twitter would become so popular. Some studies are being conducted on the number of hours that people spend in front of these networks. In a country like Egypt, Facebook was one of the helping factors in triggering the revolution as through Facebook the call for going out and joining others on the 25^th of January resulted in the revolution and the downfall of the regime and president.

9 million subscribers on Facebook is the figure that has been officially released by the MCIT including users from Egypt. In 2010 the numbers didn’t exceed 4 million so literally in one year the numbers doubled. The Arab Social Media report issued by the Dubai e-Government college stated that although the UAE, Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain are considered the heaviest and top ranking users of Facebook and Twitter, the use of such networks has accelerated especially among Arab countries that have popular demonstrations or strikes.

The report states that Egypt alone has added around 4 million users since the start of 2011 and until August, while the Twitter users in the first quarter of the year throughout the Arab world reached 1.1 million users who sent over 22.7 million tweets focusing on the continuous events of the popular Arab movements. The report also stated that the most popular words used among Arab users in the first quarter were: Egypt, January25, Libya, Bahrain, and demonstration.

Eng. Ahmed Sabry, an Internet Expert, reiterates that the year 2011 witnessed the appearance of a number of recent studies that were involved or concerned with social networks. “The results of these studies showed that social networks enjoy a huge credibility among users. The credibility of a TV or newspaper commercial does not exceed 16% as viewers know that whoever is behind the commercial whether actors or producers is getting money out of it. This weakens the credibility of such means and its ability to affect the audience,” he said. “It is a whole different matter when it comes to social networks as such means have a high credibility that reaches over 75%.” Sabry points out that the reason behind this high credibility is the idea that the person who took the video shots and then published them is a friend so he has high credibility as a source. He adds that the high credibility of the networks is considered both an advantage and a disadvantage. It advantage lies in the speed with which these videos spread as it reaches thousands with just one click of the mouse, and if some upload the video then a few million could view it. He points out that the social networks were a very important factor in removing 3 Arab presidents so far, a role that not even TV was able to fulfill. “Social networks proved that they are more than capable of organizing and rallying the biggest number of people so its credibility is not questionable,” he added.

Eng. Ahmed Rayan, another Internet Expert, agrees with him on the role that the political movement that Egypt is currently witnessing. “The revolution in Egypt changed the way people view social networks which have become one of the most essential means to which young people revert as a reliable source of information. At certain times rumors and false information spread due to what media announced falsely. People depended entirely on means such as Facebook or Youtube to get true information on which they could rely on,” he said. Not only was the information reliable but it was also easy to access and fast to transfer.

Dr. Mahmoud Alam El Din, Professor of Journalism at the faculty of Mass Comm. Cairo University, intervenes by saying “Certainly social networks played a vital role through 2011 and surpassed being just a social means of communication.” He adds that social networks became the main managing unit for many Arab revolutions in which they contributed in their success. During revolutions young people were able to activate their role through social networks as well as defining their demands and needs.

Alam El Din stated that many governments and governmental entities saw it fit to design and launch their own pages on social networks. This in itself constitutes a realistic confession from society and these entities of the power of this virtual world. He also said that social networks have become essential and a lifeline for the young generation who triggered the revolution. This virtual world was able in its own way to change our tangible realistic world.

General Fouad Allam, Security Expert, agrees with Alam El Din and clarifies that the revolutions that took place in several Arab countries during 2011 are the result of the use of technology which enabled young people to organize and voice their demands. “Facebook has turned to become a major source of receiving and transmitting news and information, and many people rely on it now for news,” he added. Ignite institute for social media revealed in a recent study that although Facebook is ranking top of the social networks pyramid, it is still facing competition from other social networks available.