Social Media in Yemen: A Gateway to Influence

Sawt Al-Amal (Voice of Hope) – Dr. Mansour Al-Qadasi

Head of Mirrors Media for Development Center (MDC)

Advisor of “Social Media in Yemen” Issue

Internet service in Yemen began in the mid-1990s through a single government operator (TeleYemen – YemenNet). It was expensive and limited to institutions and individuals in major cities, especially Sana’a. Its usage expanded with the emergence of private telecommunications companies providing Internet services for smartphones in addition to the government-owned company.

Statistical Estimates of Social Media Platforms in Yemen

Statistical estimates indicate that the number of users jumped from 420,000 in 2010 to over 7,000,000 in 2018, representing approximately 24% of the total population. Many attribute the significant increase in Internet penetration in Yemen after 2010 to the events that took place in 2011 in the Arab world, including Yemen. These events marked a turning point in the spread and utilization of the Internet among Yemenis, especially the youth who constitute more than half of Yemeni society. Yemeni youth have successfully utilized social media platforms, particularly Facebook, to raise various topics.

A recent economic report revealed that the number of Internet users in Yemen reached 8,700,000 users by the end of 2022, representing a 5.6% increase compared to the previous year, 2021. The percentage of Internet users in Yemen reached 27% of the estimated total population, which exceeds 33,700,000 individuals according to the latest statistics from the World Bank. Approximately 11% of the population uses social networking sites, with Facebook being the most popular, with over 3,200,000 users, comprising 83% males compared to only 17% females.

A study conducted by Mansa Foundation for Media and Development Studies earlier indicated that 95% of Yemenis obtain news and information from social media platforms. Facebook ranked first among Yemenis’ interests and usage with a percentage of 98.7%, followed by WhatsApp with 92.7%, then X (formerly Twitter) with 59%, followed by Telegram with 45.7%, YouTube with 38.3%, Instagram with 34%, and finally blogs with 15.3%.

The use of these platforms is not limited to following news only. Yemenis employ them to engage in various activities and operate in fields that go beyond communication, serving as influential and active elements directly involved in various public and private issues. In this article, we will focus in some detail on the most important social uses of these platforms in Yemen, aiming to provide a critical view of the positives and negatives resulting from their utilization. 

Social Uses of Social Media Platforms

It is said that Yemenis are among the most adept peoples in the world when it comes to social communication. They spend their time in almost daily group gatherings, lasting between four and eight hours, where they chew qat, exchange conversations and knowledge on various issues, and address their social problems, which take up a significant portion of their sessions. This is especially true in tribal areas where customs and traditions govern more than official laws, and their importance has increased after the conflict in light of the collapse of state institutions.

With the widespread use of social media, especially in recent years, the interactive discussions in those gatherings have diminished due to the participants being engrossed in their mobile phones, navigating the world of social media without paying the slightest attention to those around them. One of them jokingly commented once to his companions, “Excuse me, I will go to the nearest Internet cafe to communicate with you,” highlighting how each person is absorbed in their mobile phone, immersed in the world of social media without the slightest interest in those around them.  On another occasion, someone shared a picture on their Facebook page of their colleagues’ phones placed in a corner of a qat session, jokingly commenting that it was the first time they got to know their colleagues closely after insisting on a ban on the use of devices and their respective social media platforms. The purpose of such gatherings is supposed to address people’s daily problems due to the challenging living conditions. Moreover, they discuss various social issues and problems that trouble society or individuals. Traditions and customs used to prohibit their discussion in public spaces, especially if they were related to women or their rights.

Pros of Social Media

Social media platforms have contributed to strengthening and enhancing social relationships among Yemenis. They have shown interest in developing their personal lives by exchanging ideas and cultures with others, surpassing the limitations imposed by customs and traditions in reality, which do not align with the extensive openness of this era. There are many social issues in Yemen that were difficult to discuss due to deep-rooted customs and traditions. Today, they have become accessible thanks to social media platforms, such as discussing violence against women, forced marriages, cases of rape, women’s veiling, and similar topics. It also includes issues like revenge, inheritance, especially for women, and the issue of education and women’s participation in all fields. All of this indicates the importance of the role played by social media in Yemeni society on the social level. Social media platforms in Yemen have succeeded in exposing various social violations, whether they are based on political motives, social gender, race, and others, especially those that affect marginalized or silent groups in society, such as women or children.

Many users and influencers in Yemen turn to social media platforms to mobilize and exert pressure on relevant authorities to achieve justice or seek retribution in cases where the authorities have neglected to uphold justice and protect the victims of human rights violations, particularly women and children. In 2021, the case of Asmaa Ramzi Mohammed Hashem, a child who was kidnapped in Taiz, went viral on social media. Surveillance camera footage capturing a man kidnapping her from the street circulated widely, prompting the security forces to take serious action. The kidnapper was apprehended in Aden, and the abducted child was reunited with her family.

Online campaigns on these platforms have also compelled decision-makers to take specific actions under electronic pressure. They have pushed for the investigation and resolution of cases that put pressure on law enforcement and the judiciary. This was the case with the murder of Maha, a young girl who paid with her life while resisting her assailant’s attempts to rape her. The digital outrage contributed to the security forces in Aden holding an expedited trial for the neighbor who had brutally killed her and buried her body in his house basement for a whole day.

Yemeni social media users also launch campaigns and hashtags to advocate for victims of domestic violence and violence against women. They exert pressure to hold perpetrators accountable for such violations. While these activities can have positive effects by promoting popular rejection and reinforcing the values of justice, there is a tendency to approach certain issues spontaneously and haphazardly. This is driven by overwhelming emotions and the continuous stream of information, leading to a race to become the most trending topic and taking actions that could affect the course of justice.

Cons and Challenges of Social Media

Amid the escalation of social and humanitarian crises facing Yemenis due to the conflict, issues related to social solidarity and relief work dominate social media platforms. These platforms have become the primary means for relief organizations to communicate with victims and reach beneficiaries after the conflict disrupted communication networks and severed connections between Yemeni regions due to road closures at the entrances of major cities. The significant interaction on social media has also contributed to the success of many community advocacy campaigns, whether initiated by the society itself or by contributors, charitable institutions, and supporters of assisting deserving groups. However, within the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen, social media platforms have prompted many activists to share an enormous amount of photos and videos continuously circulating various humanitarian cases. They gain significant followings on their personal accounts without considering the reputation, dignity, and privacy of others, disregarding the professional ethics that should govern the publishing and consumption of content on social media platforms. Naturally, it falls under the category of publishing crimes as it harms the reputation of the person being filmed and defames them. However, activists justify this by claiming that humanitarian cases elicit sympathy from others, especially Yemeni expatriates abroad who rush to provide support and assistance to those in need within the country.  

Yemeni civil society organizations have utilized social media platforms to share news, videos, and photos to showcase their activities. They conduct studies and surveys to gauge public opinion on various social and developmental issues that were previously socially and culturally prohibited from being discussed. This has helped overcome the fear surrounding certain issues, making it acceptable to talk about them.

Social media platforms have provided a fast and powerful means of communication between government leaders and citizens, especially with both parties having personal accounts on these platforms, particularly the former Twitter platform. Now, citizens can write about their sufferings, address issues of corruption, and publish them on multiple electronic platforms, reaching thousands of followers. Furthermore, they can simultaneously send these messages to the responsible authorities. Many Yemenis see these methods as a quick way to pressure the government and relevant entities. They have been able to impose their will on the state, deter it from issuing certain decisions, and even cancel others. 

Despite all the progress, there are mixed reactions among Yemenis regarding the evaluation of social media platforms and their uses. Some believe that these platforms serve to obscure the truth by promoting rumors and fake news, while others see them as an important source of factual information documented by eyewitnesses present at the scene of events when they occur. Regardless of these two perspectives, social media platforms remain significantly present in various events experienced worldwide, especially in Yemen.

 They offer great benefits to their users, such as learning, accessing news and information, raising awareness, influencing public opinion, and defending public freedom issues. However, they have turned into a curse due to the misuse of the freedom of information flow within them, as they are harnessed to incite chaos and spread rumors promoting violence and hatred. This threatens the unity of the national fabric and undermines the values of coexistence and social cohesion that Yemenis have long embraced, given the absence of deterrent laws to regulate the content published on these platforms and the exploitation of some extremist organizations for disseminating destructive and violent ideas. 

The youth are considered the most targeted segment by electronic rumors, aiming to distort their awareness and exploit them as the largest and most influential social group in terms of population and vitality. On one hand, they are the most frequent users and active participants on electronic media platforms. Dozens of activists, online newspapers, and other media outlets become victims of the massive amount of rumors and misinformation. They quickly pick up and share these rumors without verifying their accuracy, and the cycle of their spread continues in other media outlets, councils, and social gatherings.  What further increases the danger of the impact of these contents, according to experts and analysts, is that they have significantly contributed to widening the crises within the country on both societal and political levels. They have deepened social divisions and fragmented the national fabric. All concerned parties must regulate the functioning of social media platforms and take necessary measures against those who disseminate false news and rumors that incite the Yemeni public.

Proposals to Improve the Role of Social Media in Yemen

Social media platforms can play a crucial role in bringing about positive change in Yemen and improving the lives of citizens by ensuring freedom of expression on social platforms, protecting users from harassment and attacks, promoting civic engagement, encouraging citizen participation in decision-making, raising awareness about human rights, and protecting user rights.

Some key proposed recommendations include:

• Enhancing infrastructure by expanding internet coverage, providing affordable internet packages, improving service quality, opening up investment opportunities in mobile communication technologies, and developing network infrastructure.
• Promoting community awareness by educating the public about the positive and responsible uses of social media, training youth in internet usage skills and content creation, and managing social media platforms.
• Creating a safe environment for dialogue and idea exchange on social media platforms without censorship or restrictions imposed by conflicting parties, and enhancing interaction among different segments of society on important issues such as education, health, and the environment.
• Using social media properly to monitor the performance of both government and private institutions transparently, without accusing any party.
• Implementing strict laws to combat hate speech and incitement to violence, raising awareness about the dangers of fake news, and developing techniques to detect and combat it.