Differences in Social Media Usage Exist Between Western and Middle-East Countries

TL;DR

This study compares social media usage patterns between Western and Middle Eastern countries, revealing distinct user engagement behaviors and content preferences through empirical analysis of messaging app interactions.

Contribution

It provides the first empirical comparison of social media interaction dynamics between Western and Middle Eastern communities, highlighting cultural differences in user behavior.

Findings

Saudi users prefer longer conversations

Saudi users are more conservative in voting

Differences in user attention shifts and engagement patterns

Abstract

In this paper, we empirically analyze two examples of a Western (DE) versus Middle-East (SA) Online Social Messaging App. By focusing on the system interactions over time in comparison, we identify inherent differences in user engagement. We take a deep dive and shed light onto differences in user attention shifts and showcase their structural implications to the user experience. Our main findings show that in comparison to the German counterparts, the Saudi communities prefer creating content in longer conversations, while voting more conservative.