STUDY: WhatsApp Tops Facebook in Middle East Nations

WhatsApp is what’s up in the Middle East, as a recent study by Northwestern University in Qatar found that the Facebook-owned messaging application beat out its parent company in Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

NorthwesternUQatarMiddleEastChartWhatsApp is what’s up in the Middle East, as a recent study by Northwestern University in Qatar found that the Facebook-owned messaging application beat out its parent company in Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with Facebook holding on in Egypt and Tunisia.

The study found that Facebook is still the most popular social platform overall in the region, followed by WhatsApp and YouTube.

Facebook remained the most popular social app in Egypt (87 percent of respondents use it) and Tunisia (91 percent), while WhatsApp claimed that title in Lebanon (97 percent), Qatar (89 percent), Saudi Arabia (94 percent) and the UAE (100 percent).

The study also found that daily use of social media topped that for Web surfing (61 percent of respondents), searching for news (55 percent) and downloading and watching videos (40 percent), adding that direct messaging was more likely to be used to connect with others than email.

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