The Arab region has seen a steady rise in social media usage, with prominent users now playing a key role in influencing their followers.

Social media influencers in the region span across diverse areas including fashion and beauty, and religion, and boast millions of followers across platforms.

Dubai has also hosted the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit during the last two years and in 2016, also established a new club for influencers.

The club will aim to encourage “innovation and creativity” among influencers, so that they can in turn transfer this innovation to their millions of their followers on social networks.

Looking ahead, the 2017 edition of the annual Arab Social Media Report found that there is “strong and continued growth” of social media uptake and influence across Arab societies.

“Social media in the Arab world is gaining more ground, growing increasingly localised, becoming less youthful, while remaining a male-dominated medium,” it found.

In recognition of the growing influence that social media users wield – both regionally and internationally – Gulf Business put together a list of some of the most prominent Arab-origin social media personalities along with our annual 100 Most Powerful Arabs list.

TOP ARAB SOCIAL MEDIA STARS
(Arranged in alphabetical order)

(Images courtesy: Instagram)

Abdulaziz Baz, UAE

Comedian

Facebook likes: 232k

Instagram followers: 3.9m

YouTube subscribers: 406k

Twitter followers: 32.3k

Adam Saleh, Yemen

US-based YouTube personality

Facebook likes: 995k

Instagram followers: 1.3m

YouTube subscribers: 2.6m

Twitter followers: 346k

Ahmad Al Shugairi, Saudi Arabia

TV host on religious matters

Facebook likes: 14.3m

Instagram followers: 8.1m

Twitter followers: 16.6m

Dr. Alqarnee, Saudi Arabia

Islamic preacher

Facebook likes: 15.39m

Instagram followers: 2.1m

YouTube subscribers: 182k

Twitter followers: 15.1m

Ascia and Ahmad – The Hybrids, Kuwait

Fashion blogger

Facebook likes: 9.4k

Instagram followers: 2m

YouTube subscribers: 67k

Twitter followers: 40.9k

Dalal Al Doub, Kuwait

Fashion and beauty blogger

Instagram followers: 2m

YouTube subscribers: 418.7k

Twitter followers: 22.6k

Darin Al Bayed, Saudi Arabia

Comedian and actor

Facebook likes: 45.3k

Instagram followers: 3.7m

YouTube subscribers [for HowaWaHeya, where her show Anawheya is aired]: 471k

Twitter followers: 100k

DJ Khaled, Palestine

US-based record producer, author

Facebook likes: 3m

Instagram followers: 4.9m

YouTube subscribers: 1.6m

Twitter followers: 3.16m

Elissa, Lebanon

Singer

Facebook likes: 21.7m

Instagram followers: 7.2m

YouTube subscribers: 1.1m

Twitter followers: 11.2m

Gigi Hadid, Palestine

US fashion model

Facebook likes: 3.96m

Instagram followers: 29.8m

YouTube subscribers: 56.3k

Twitter followers: 3.99m

Huda Kattan, UAE

Beauty blogger

Facebook likes: 1m

Instagram followers: 17.6m

YouTube subscribers: 1.6m

Twitter followers: 82.5k

Joelle Mardinian, Lebanon

Make-up artist, TV host

Facebook likes: 2.4m

Instagram followers: 5.5m

YouTube subscribers: 48.8k

Twitter followers: 319k

Lojain Omran, Saudi Arabia

TV host

Facebook likes: 12.5k

Instagram followers: 5m

Twitter followers: 980k

Ola Al Fares, Jordan

TV presenter and producer

Facebook likes: 1.1m

Instagram followers: 3.2m

YouTube subscribers: 10.7k

Twitter followers: 3m

Ryan Al Ahmari, Saudi Arabia

(Mjrm Games)

Comedian, YouTube content creator

Instagram followers: 3.3m

YouTube subscribers: 2.97m

Twitter followers: 238k

Samer Khouzami, Lebanon

Make-up artist

Facebook likes: 281.5k

Instagram followers: 1.8m

YouTube subscribers: 56k

Twitter followers: 4.2k

Sheikh Mishari Alafasy, Kuwait

Preacher

Facebook likes: 17.36m

Instagram followers: 2.3m

YouTube subscribers: 725k

Twitter followers: 12m

Taim Al Falasi, UAE

Online radio show host, producer

Instagram followers: 2.3m

YouTube subscribers: 448.6k

Twitter followers: 96k