Twitter To Open Dubai Office

Microblogging site Twitter will soon open an office in Dubai to improve user experience and tap in to the regional markets, a senior company official said at Arab Social Media Influencers Summit.

“Twitter is aiming to enhance the current experience and take it the next level by involving wider participation from every possible segment, including governments as well as non-government organisations,” said Shailesh Rao, vice president of Twitter.

“One of the major steps into the future is the integration of video as we try to create a more real time experience for our users.”

Twitter has an active user base in the region with 76 per cent of social media users using the microblogging site daily, Rao said.

Engagement through mobile is also growing with 79 per cent of users accessing Twitter through mobile devices, he added.

Ramadan and Eid are the two occasions that see maximum user activity in the region, the official revealed. About 215 million tweets were recorded during Eid and Ramadan last year, up from 72 million in 2013.

Rao also noted that there was an increasing volume of conversation on television using Twitter in the region, which grew to 200 per cent in 2014.

US-based social networking companies such as Facebook and LinkedIn have already established offices in Dubai to tap into the growing social media usage in the region.

Twitter, which has 288 million monthly users globally, does not reveal region specific figures but an Arab Social Media Report last year said that the microblogging site’s base grew 54 per cent year-on-year in 2013.

It also started selling advertising services in the region in 2013 on the back of its rising user base.

Twitter’s popularity has also led many local leaders to launch official initiatives and make important announcements through the platform.

In 2013, UAE’s VP, PM and Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched a brainstorming session on Twitter among UAE citizens to generate ideas to overhaul the country’s health and education sectors.

The online campaign was highly successful with more than 50,000 participants proposing more than 82,000 ideas.