LinkedIn goes Orientalist with new Middle East infographic
LinkedIn's new infographic doesn't tell you much you won't know
already, if you've read their recent data on
the Middle East, but it does breathe life into a few
stereotypes about the region.
Here's a look at the facts about the social network's audience in
the Arab world plus Turkey and Iran: its over 9 million members are
mostly between the ages of 25 and 44 (64%), hold a college degree
(73%), wield a smartphone (81%), pursue an international
perspective (75%), and wear designer clothes (45%).
Its regional users often hold manager positions (40%) and travel
frequently for business, with over 20% making eight international
business trips in the past 12 months, and over 25% spending over 15
nights in a hotel for business purposes, statistics that speak to
the opportunity in the travel and hospitality sectors. Over a third
travel first class.
The most popular employers on the social network are still
telecoms, airlines, or petroleum and manufacturing companies;
nothing new there (None from Turkey or Iran made the list? Turkey
is one of LinkedIn's fastest
growing markets, which
hit 1 million users in March 2012, before Saudi did this
September).
What's most interesting is that 36% of LinkedIn users in
the Middle East access the site over mobile, which is a
bit higher than LinkedIn's global average of 33%.
While it's confirming stereotypes of elite users in the region for
better or worse (does LinkedIn query all populations about their
sartorial choices?), the infographic also involves a genie
lamp, a cascading skyline filled with domed mosques and minarets,
and Ramadan decorations to illustrate its points about job
search.
Many stereotypes about the Arab world are alive and well across the
globe in 2013, but: a genie lamp? Shame on you, LinkedIn.
Click here or on the infographic for a bigger image.