Finally, the Arab Barometer also sheds light on MENA region. According to the 2023-2024 Arab Barometer, 63% of social media users report MENA region. A large proportion of respondents follow the news through social media, ranging 9.6),20 where heavy users are more likely to follow influencers than moderate users. The most com- 9.5). In the region, social media is gradually mon topics include sports and recreation (17%), overtaking TV as the primary news source, or beauty and fashion (16%), arts and culture (14%), has already done so.19 In countries like Egypt and food and cooking (12%), and politics and reform Jordan, the share of respondents who use social (10%). While most users primarily watch or like influencer content, a substantial share engages more actively: of the heavy users, 31% comment the rest of the MENA region and is stagnating. In contrast, in Lebanon and the State of Palestine, its share is considerably higher and increasing. in news consumption; we find that 62% of those media use it as their primary news source,