When social media becomes a civic space

One of the main findings of my decade-long research on social media and Arab identity, with a focus on Oman, is that social media has created new opportunities for Omanis to participate in civic engagement and to communicate directly with officials.
Public participation in decision-making had been a long-standing wish among many Omanis. Social media has helped turn this wish into practical participation, allowing citizens to express views, raise concerns, respond to government initiatives, and contribute to finding solutions.
The Covid-19 pandemic provided a clear example of this development. In 2020, when Oman, like other countries, was facing an unprecedented public health crisis, the Ministry of Education sought the views of the public before making important decisions about education.
The ministry published questionnaires online and invited Omanis to complete them and provide their opinions. This recognised that decisions affecting society should consider the experiences and views of the people affected by them. Social media and online communication therefore became a channel through which the public could participate in an important national decision.
Omanis also used social media to support public health efforts during the pandemic. For example, they created and circulated WhatsApp stickers containing information and reminders about quarantine rules, health regulations, and appropriate behaviour. These stickers made serious information more accessible and engaging, while also helping to communicate government instructions to a wider audience.
In this case, Omanis were not simply receiving information from the government. They were actively helping to distribute and communicate that information within their own communities. Social media thus became a space for cooperation between the public and government institutions.
More recently, I have observed many similar examples in which an issue becomes viral online and Omanis respond by discussing it, expressing their concerns, and calling on officials to intercede.
In some cases, citizens have asked authorities to take action when they believe that particular online behaviour, including the behaviour of some TikTok users, is unacceptable. On some occasions, the authorities have responded. This shows that social media can function as a channel through which public concerns reach institutions and can contribute to official responses.
Another recent debate concerned Omanis with serious or terminal illnesses whose income or financial support may be reduced because of their circumstances. The issue gained considerable attention online, with Omanis discussing the experiences of affected people and drawing attention to a problem that had not received sufficient public attention. Importantly, the discussion did not remain limited to ordinary social media users.
Officials, decision-makers, and people with relevant personal or professional experience also entered the discussion. Social media therefore helped bring different groups together around an issue and created a public space for considering possible responses.
These examples demonstrate an important change in the relationship between citizens and officials. Social media does more than provide a way for Omanis to critique policies or express dissatisfaction. It can provide the pulse of the public, showing officials what people are experiencing, what concerns them, and what issues require attention. More importantly, it can allow citizens and officials to work together to identify problems, discuss possible solutions, and address them.
This, in my view, is one of the most constructive uses of social media in Oman. Its value lies not only in giving people a voice, but also in creating opportunities for that voice to become part of public discussion and practical action.
Social media can therefore be used to build, cooperate, and solve problems, rather than simply to critique. This represents an important development in civic participation and in the relationship between Omanis and the institutions that effectively serve them in Oman.