CAIRO, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Soma, a 23-year-old Kuwaiti woman who lost her job at a restaurant due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has managed to earn a living as an influential singer broadcasting regularly on social media.
Virtual gifts purchased by her fans helped her pull through the tough time. "Besides earning a living, I realize my values. I met friends who truly appreciate my talent," she said.
Soma is among a growing number of young people in the Arab world who are reaping dividends from a spike in social media use particularly during the pandemic.
The young lady sang regularly on Sango, a Singapore-based audio entertainment social app which has become the latest hit, topping the list with the most downloads across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It also came second in Saudi Arabia, third in Morocco, and eighth in Algeria, according to data from App Annie, a global app market data provider.
Launched in April, 2020, Sango now boasts 5 million monthly active users, 70 percent of whom are young people aged 18-24.
A report by Pew Research Center indicated that Muslims are the world's youngest people, with a median age of 23 years old, five years younger than the global median of 28. Young Muslims are usually heavy users of social media.
Another study by the University of Oregon found that about 90 percent of Arab youths use some form of social media, compared with 60 percent among the global population.
Given the above characteristics, the media and entertainment market in the region was valued at 35 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, which is expected to double by 2026, according to ReportLinker, a France-based market data provider.
Jean Wang, Sango's founder and CEO, believed a more localized social product which incorporates the region's cultural and social contexts will be the next hit.
"People desire a place where they can find a home, a sense of belonging," Wang said. "And what we are doing at Sango is to help young Muslims establish interest-based communities and create that sense of belonging." ■