Abstract
Democracy has always been a dream that captivates the minds of Saudi elites, especially those educated in the West. Nevertheless, Mr. Donald Trump’s presidency left skeptical views about solidity of the democratic system in one of the world’s most important democracies in the contemporary world. Throughout four years, the pace of autocracy in America escalated, institutions declined, and partisanship polarization has reached an all-time high. The United States of America may have experienced such a dilemma in the past, but it has never been the subject of an instant discussion worldwide. Social networks in fact eliminated the rule that used to be played by gatekeepers in the traditional mass communications. The paper explores comments of Saudi elites via Twitter for a period from November 2020 until January 2021, analyze and redraw the current image of democracy among Saudi elites.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2022 Special Focus—Democratic Disorder: Disinformation, the Media and Crisis in a Time of Change
KEYWORDS
TWITTER, SAUDI ELITES, DEMOCRACY, SOCIAL NETWORKS
