DOHA: WhatsApp is the leading social media channel in Qatar, a new study undertaken by the Rassed research program at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ictQATAR) has found.
According to the study, 87 percent of the population and 97 percent of Qataris use WhatsApp compared to seven other social media services included in the study.
A third of Qataris use WhatsApp to find out the latest news, the study found, compared to 21 percent of expats. Meanwhile, 52 percent of expats use Facebook for this purpose, versus just 12 percent of Qataris.
Similarly, just 12 percent of Qatari men and 6 percent of Qatari women post pictures on Facebook, compared to 46 percent of non-Qatari men and 49 percent of non-Qatari women.
In contrast, Facebook is the fifth most popular social network for Qataris, but second for non-Qataris. Although 90 percent of Qataris are aware of Facebook, only 44 percent use it, the Ministry discovered; a finding in line with other recent studies. Conversely, awareness of Facebook among non-Qataris stood at 94 percent with an 84 percent adoption level.
Their research also revealed that Qataris are more aware of newer networks like Snapchat (77 percent vs. 39 percent) and Instagram (97 percent vs. 65 percent); and that they tend to be amongst the earliest adopters of these emerging social media services.
Other important findings from the research showed that awareness of social networks is highest amongst Qataris and non-Qatari females and that “Boredom” is potentially the top trigger for women to stop using a particular social channel.
“Mobile friendly” is a key driver for usage for over 50 percent of users and 70 percent of Qataris and that 20 percent of users would consider leaving a network “if it is not mobile friendly.”
Eighty-five percent of the sample felt that social media is “helping to spread rumors and false information.”
Covering eight different social media services - ranging from older more established networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to newer entrants like Snapchat, WhatsApp and Path – the Ministry’s research offers an up to date analysis of the attitudes and behaviors of social media users in Qatar.
“Most studies of social media in Qatar typically only focus on the take-up of services,” explained Damian Radcliffe, Digital Impact and Emerging Technologies Section Head at ictQATAR, “whereas this research also explores how and why people are using these channels.”
“This is important because social media is such a fast-moving space, so understanding current trends is essential for anyone who uses these channels as part of their communications and outreach work.”
The Rassed team also identified differences in usage of networks like BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) — which is used by 44 percent of 15-29 year olds, versus 20 percent of those aged over 30 — the sharing of photos on social networks and in the growing practice of using social media as a source for news.
“These findings provide actionable insights which all sectors in Qatar can benefit from,” he added, “and understanding these substantial variances will be of value to everyone from advertising and marketing agencies, through to start-ups, industry and government bodies.”
Fieldwork was conducted from September 1 to October 16 this year, on behalf of ictQATAR by Ipsos Qatar. A total of 1,000 adult Internet users participated in a 15-minute Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviews (CATI) where they answered questions on a wide range of topics related to social media, including what social channels they used and why. The sample comprised 500 Qataris and 500 non-Qataris.
The Peninsula
