Youth and Social Media in Transition

This report explores whether and to in what ways young people in this region differ in their political activities from older age groups and whether and how they use social media for political information and activism. It begins with a discussion of the research and theoretical literature surrounding collective action and the use of social media worldwide, young people’s participation in the uprisings and the ways in which social media was used in the uprisings. It goes on to bring light to bear on the area by analysing data from the ArabTrans Survey carried out in six of the countries in 2014. The report seeks to look at political activity, on line and off, comparing younger people with their seniors and looking at the use of the ‘social media’ for political purposes as well as activism ‘on the streets’ and more conventional forms of political engagement. It also briefly considers the role played by the affluent and educated middle class and by the less affluent sections of the working population, though it would require qualitative research do to this topic justice. It concludes that young people played a large part in the movement, alongside others, and were still politically active in 2014, and that social media played and still play a large part in their activity.