Dependence of Saudi Youth on Social Media to Obtain Information on Tourist Attractions in Saudi Arabia: A Field Study on University Students in the Eastern Province

Document Type : Original Article

Author

King Faisal University, Department of Communication and Media

Abstract

The importance of this study lies in investigating a rapidly growing and evolving phenomenon, which is social media platforms. The youth's increasing interest in these platforms is evident in Saudi Arabian society and across Arab communities. The study aimed to determine the extent to which Saudi youth rely on social media platforms to obtain tourist information and identify the most attractive tourist destinations for Saudi youth.
The study employed a descriptive methodology and utilized a questionnaire as a data collection tool from a sample of 300 university students in the Eastern Province. The results of the study revealed that Saudi youth heavily rely on social media platforms to obtain tourist information, with 90% of the sample using these platforms for that purpose. The findings confirmed that the most relied-upon social media platforms for obtaining tourist information among Saudi youth are Instagram, followed by Twitter and YouTube.
Based on the study's results, the following recommendations were provided:

The need to enhance social media platforms to provide accurate and up-to-date tourist information.
The importance of collaboration between tourism authorities and social media platforms to promote Saudi tourist sites.
The necessity of raising awareness among Saudi youth about the risks of misleading tourist information on social media platforms.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. - Bin Donia, F. (2022). aetimad alshabab alsaeudii ealaa mawaqie altawasul aliajtimaeii lilhusul ealaa almaelumat hawl mustajadaat alwade alsahi. majalat alhikmat lildirasat al'iielamiat walaitisaliati, 10(2), 1-26.

    - Marzuqi, S. (2022). 'ahamiyat wasayil altawasul aliajtimaeii fi aliartiqa' bialwaey alsiyahii litulaab almarhalat althaanawiati. Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality, 22(2), 292-315.‏

    - Haddadi, W. (2022). tashkil alwaey bialsiyahat albiyiyat eabr alshabakat alaijtimaeiat ladaa alshabab aljamieii: dirasatan fi aldawr waltaathirati. majalat dirasat fi eulum al'iinsan walmujtamaei, jamieat Muhamad Alsidiyq Bin Yahya- Jijel.

    - Radia, H. (2022). aetimad mawaqie altawasul aliajtimaeii kamasdar lilmaelumat fi zili al'azmat alsihiyat jayihat kuruna. majalat alrisalat lildirasat alaelamiati, 7(3), 1-26.

    - Saadan, F. (2022). aietimad aljumhur alyamanii ealaa mawaqie altawasul alaijtimaeii kamasdar lilmaelumat hawl jayihat kuruna. majalat buhuth alealaqat aleamati, 10(38), 1-26.

     - Al Otaibi, S. (2022). darajat waey alshabab bi'ahamiyat alsiyahat aldaakhiliat dirasat wasfiat mutbaqat ealaa eayinat min alshabab alsaeudii fi madinat alriyada. majalat jameiat Alaijtimaeiiyn fi alshaariqati, 39(156), 79-110.

    - Saleh, N. (2022). alealaqat bayn mawaqie altawasul alaijtimaeii waltalab alsiyahi. majalat jamieat Albaeth Silsilat aleulum alaiqtisadiati, 44(19), 1-26.

    -Aleaydi, A. (2022). dawr alhisabat alrasmiat ealaa mawqie twitr fi altaswiq alsiyahii lilmawaqie alsiyahiat wal'athariat bialmamlakat alearabiat Alsaeudia: dirasat maydaniati. almajalat alearabiat liltarbiat alnaweiati, 6(22), 1-26.

    - Al-Aqeel, F. (2021). aietimad mustakhdimi mawaqie altawasul alaijtimaeii fi alsaeudiat ealaa khitab almutahadith al'iielamii liwizarat alsihat khilal azmat kuruna. almajalat almisriat libuhuth al'iielami, 76(2). 1-26.

    - Altarabishi, M. (2009). nazariaat aliatisali. dar alnahdat alearabiati, Alqahira.

    - Misbah, A. (2010). manhajiat albahth fi aleulum alsiyasat walaelami. Ben Aknoun Aljazayar: diwan almatbueat aljamieiati.

    1. Chew, C., & Chen, J. (2012). The mediating role of social media in the formation of public opinion. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 89(1), 179-199.
    2. Hocevar, K. P., & Lee, A. (2023). Social media self-efficacy and information evaluation online. Western Journal of Communication, 87(1), 129-149.
    3. Hossvari, K. B., Chen, Y., & Sundar, S. S. (2023). Self-efficacy of social media and online information evaluation. Journal of Communication and Information Studies, 41(2), 120-135.
    4. Kim, J., & Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (2011). Theorizing the Internet and social change: A structural approach. In M. Castells (Ed.), The network society: A cross-cultural perspective (pp. 204-227). London: Edward Elgar.
    5. Lamees Abdulhakeem Bahurmuz, Zenah Mahmoud Al-Kubaisy. (2022). Role of Social Media Marketing in the Development of Users' Attitudes towards Tourism in Saudi Arabia. 2022 9th International Conference on Computing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom).
    6. Lee, J., Kim, Y., & Kim, J. (2023). The influence of social media on youth social relationships: An electronic survey. Journal of Social Communication, 28(2), 75-90.
    7. Littlejohn, S. W. (2022). Theories of mass communication. Wadsworth, United Kingdom.
    8. Smith, J., Johnson, M., & Brown, K. (2023). The impact of social media on youth mental health: A survey study. Journal of Adolescent Psychology, 45(3), 150-165.
    9. Stephen W. Littlejohn. (2002). Theories of Mass Communication. Wadsworth, United Kingdom.
    10. Sundar, S. S., & Limperos, A. A. (2013). Uses and gratifications of social media: A review of the literature. In A. A. Lim & S. S. Sundar (Eds.), Social media: A guide for academics, practitioners, 

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics