Factors that affect the use of Facebook and Twitter as marketing tools in the UAE

The Arab Spring has brought a lot of attention to the use of social media in the Arab world. Whether social media was one of the catalysts or the sole agent of the socio-political movement has been an object of endless debate. Nevertheless, it can be agreed that social media usage has increased in the region and is paving the way for enduring changes in all spheres of public and private life. Globally, social media is increasingly being used as a marketing tool replacing traditional media. In the UAE however, businesses seem to be wary of using the medium. This reticence could be due to the negative sentiments created by the use of social media against establishments during the Arab Spring. Also social media is a late bloomer in the Emirates. The public as well as firms need time to warm up to this medium effectively. This paper attempts to explore the use of social media, in particular Facebook and Twitter as marketing tools by businesses in the UAE. Facebook and Twitter are two of the most popular social media in the region. The restrictions on sites like Orkut and VOIP like Skype could have contributed to increased traffic to these social media sites. The identification of restricting factors will help media and marketing professionals to use social media as an effective marketing tool.