A first step towards understanding Saudi political activities on Twitter

Abstract

Purpose - This study aims to understand the underlying social structure of Saudi citizens' interaction and discussion of political topics over the Twitter sphere. Design/methodology/approach - The study employs social network analysis (SNA) measurements such as centrality, eigenvector and graph density on tweets produced in June 2012 by the Saudi community. Findings - The result of SNA reveals relevant differences in the patterns of interconnection among different political topics. It also provides insights into sociological characteristics of modern political issues in Saudi Arabia. Research limitations/implications - The limitation of this study resides in the lack of large data set for robust analysis. Originality/value - This is the first study aiming to understand social network dynamics of Twitter targeting the Saudi community. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.