Trends in Lebanon

Most of the 10 percent of the Lebanese population using social media (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and YouTube) are identified with the March 14 camp. They comprise primarily Sunni Muslims, but also figure a good number of Christians, Lebanese media figures, foreign journalists, and Lebanese expatriates. At the outset of the regional upheavals, Shiites and Druze participated little in the intra-Lebanese discourse in the social media, but their participation has increased over time. Furthermore, some Lebanese politicians, among them Prime Minister Najib Mikati and opposition leader Saad Hariri, are very active on the internet and use the new media to disseminate messages, express opinions, and reach younger segments of the population.