انفجر استخدام الإنترنت - ومن خلاله منتجات Google - في السنوات الأخيرة في مصر. من 1 ٪ فقط من الناس المتصلين بالإنترنت في عام 2000 ، يستخدم 53.5 ٪ من السكان المصريين الإنترنت و 43 ٪ من الذين تتراوح أعمارهم بين 15 وما فوق يستخدمون الهاتف الذكي.
بالطبع ، لدى مستخدمي الإنترنت المصريين مجموعة واسعة من المنتجات والشركات للاختيار من بينها للبحث عن المعلومات ، ومشاهدة محتوى مثير للاهتمام ، ودعم حياتهم العملية. من المصريين عبر الإنترنت الذين قمنا باستطلاعهم ، الغالبية من المستخدمين العاديين لبحث Google وخرائط Google و YouTube.
في حين لا تزال النساء والفئات ذات الدخل المنخفض أقل عرضة للإتصال بالإنترنت ، إلا أنهن يلحقن بالركب. من خلال استطلاعاتنا ، من الأرجح أن تكون هذه المجموعات قد انضمت مؤخرًا إلى الإنترنت ، وإذا استمرت الاتجاهات ، فستتمكن بشكل متزايد من الاستفادة من الإنترنت.
إذن ما هذه الفوائد؟ نظرنا في كيفية استخدام منتجات Google ، ولماذا ، عبر حياة الناس اليومية ، وعملهم ، وفي تفاعلهم مع المجتمع ومؤسساته:
- جوجل يجعل حياة الناس أسهل.لقد وجدنا أن بحث Google أنقذ المصريين على الإنترنت حوالي يوم واحد في السنة - 23 ساعة - وأن المصريين أصبحوا قادرين بشكل متزايد على إنجاز أشياء مثل البريد الإلكتروني أو البحث عن مشتريات أثناء السفر. يتم استخدام Google بشكل متزايد لدعم الحياة الأسرية - مساعدة الناس على البقاء على اتصال ، ومع YouTube والبحث ، كوسيلة لمساعدة الأطفال على اكتساب المعرفة والتعلم. تُستخدم منتجات Google أيضًا لمساعدة الأشخاص على متابعة هواياتهم والحصول على مزيد من المتعة - سواء كان ذلك عبر الإنترنت باستخدام مقاطع فيديو YouTube أو دون اتصال بالإنترنت عند استخدام تطبيق Maps للعثور على المطاعم. في المجموع ، تشير تقديراتنا إلى أن القيمة الإجمالية للمستهلكين هي 131 مليار جنيه إسترليني سنويًا ، في حين أن البحث يخلق قيمة 156 جنيهًا إسترلينيًا شهريًا للمتوسط المصري.
- جوجل تدعم حياة العمل.لقد قمنا باستطلاع قادة الأعمال في جميع أنحاء مصر ووجدنا أن الإنترنت ، على نحو متزايد ، هو جزء أساسي من شركاتهم وإنتاجيتهم. تستخدم الشركات Google للوصول إلى العملاء في جميع أنحاء العالم والحصول على أفضل عائد ممكن من إعلاناتهم. تتفق الشركات أيضًا على أنها جعلتها أكثر تركيزًا على العملاء. بالنسبة لأصغر الشركات ، تعتبر Google مهمة بشكل خاص: 92٪ من الشركات التي يقل عدد موظفيها عن 50 موظفًا يقولون إن أدوات البحث المجانية والمكاتب المجانية تساعدهم على التنافس مع لاعبين أكبر.في المجموع ، نقدر دعم منتجات Google بما لا يقل عن 5.2 مليار جنيه إسترليني في النشاط الاقتصادي في مصر.
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تساعد Google الأشخاص في المساهمة في المجتمع. وجد استطلاع الرأي الذي أجريناه أن الناس يعتقدون الآن أنهم يتعرضون لمجموعة واسعة من وجهات النظر ، والمزيد من مصادر الأخبار ، أكثر من قبل محركات البحث. يرى نموذجنا أيضًا أن منتجات Google - وخاصة الخرائط - لها تأثير كبير على البيئة ، حيث توفر ما يعادل 25000 رحلة حول العالم في انبعاثات الكربون.
كيف قمنا بتقييم تأثير جوجل في مصر
كيف تستفيد مصر من التحولات التي ناقشناها أعلاه؟ هذا ليس شيئًا يسهل حسابه من الإحصاءات الاقتصادية التقليدية ، التي غالبًا ما لا تأخذ في الاعتبار الكامل الفوائد الكاملة الناتجة عن توفير الوقت أو فرص الوصول إلى المعلومات. كان ذلك ينطبق أيضًا على المطبعة أو التلفزيون. لكن لمجرد صعوبة قياس شيء ما ، فهذا لا يعني أنه غير مهم.
في هذه الورقة ، سعينا إلى استخدام مجموعة من الطرق المختلفة لتحديد التأثير الناتج عن بحث Google و YouTube و Android ومنتجات Google الأخرى:
- للبدء ، بناءً على سابقة تقارير التأثير السابقة من Google 1، استخدمنا النمذجة الاقتصادية التقليدية المبنية على تقديرات الجهات الخارجية لحجم سوق Google والعائدات المحتملة على الاستثمار (ROI) وتحسينات الإنتاجية لقياس النشاط الاقتصادي الذي تحركه Google Search وإعلانات Google و AdSense و YouTube و Android.
- من أجل بناء صورة أوسع للفوائد ، أجرينا استطلاعات واسعة النطاق لسؤال العائلات والشركات العادية عن كيفية استخدامهم لمنتجات Google والفرق الذي أحدثوه في أوقات فراغهم أو عملهم. من خلال العمل مع مقدمي الخدمات Dynata و African Business Communities ، قمنا باستطلاع عينة تمثيلية على المستوى الوطني تتكون من 730 شخصًا بالغًا و 455 من كبار مديري الأعمال في جميع أنحاء مصر ، وطرح عليهم 50 و 23 سؤالًا على التوالي حول تجربتهم في استخدام Google ومنتجات أخرى عبر الإنترنت. Public First عضو في مجلس الاقتراع البريطاني ، وتتوفر الجداول الكاملة لجميع البيانات المستخدمة في هذا التقرير للتنزيل من موقعنا على الإنترنت.
- لا تزال أفضل منهجية لتقدير فوائد المستهلك بدقة الناتجة عن خدمات الإنترنت المجانية مسألة جدال حاد بين الاقتصاديين. لأغراض هذا المشروع ، جربنا مجموعة من المنهجيات المختلفة ، واستكشفنا كيف يؤثر ذلك على مجموعة التقديرات المحتملة ، ويسمح لنا بتقديم فوائد جديدة للقيمة الهامشية التي أنشأتها Google في مصر.
- أخيرًا ، استكشفنا 15 دراسة حالة معمقة حول كيفية استخدام الشركات والأفراد في جميع أنحاء البلاد لـ Google لتشغيل أعمالهم.
نتعمق أكثر في منهجيتنا في الفصل الأخير ، الذي يستكشف كيف يقارن ويسهم في النقاش الأوسع حول قياس القيمة التي أنشأتها الإنترنت. ترد التفاصيل الفنية الكاملة في ملحق في نهاية التقرير
على الرغم من قيام Google بتكليف هذا التقرير من Public First ، إلا أنها لم تقدم أي معلومات إضافية وجميع التقديرات مستمدة من المعلومات الرسمية والخاصة بالجهات الخارجية.
10 طرق لتغيير حياة المصريين بواسطة Google والإنترنت
لقد قمنا باستطلاع المصريين عبر الإنترنت عبر المناطق والفئات العمرية ونوع الجنس ووجدنا مع نماذجنا أن:
1. مساعدة الناس على قضاء بعض الوقت في ما يهم
1.1 مقدمة
نحن جميعا نريد لقضاء بعض الوقت على ما يهم. قد نركز على الوقت مع أسرنا. قد نرغب في متابعة الهوايات والاهتمامات الجديدة. أو ربما نريد فقط أن نكون قادرين على الاسترخاء.
ما نريده لم يتغير كثيرا في العقود الأخيرة. لكن استطلاع الرأي الذي أجريناه حول المصريين عبر الإنترنت في مختلف المناطق والأعمار ونوع الجنس ، وجد أن الطريقة التي نحصل بها على ما نريد قد تغيرت إلى حد كبير.
لقد اكتشفنا أربع طرق أساسية تساعد منتجات Google المختلفة الآن على استيعاب الناس للعمل والأسرة وغيرها من الاهتمامات:المهمة
إنها تساعدنا على إنجاز الأمور - حتى نتمكن من قضاء بعض الوقت في الأمور. يعد بحث Google وخرائط Google - خاصة عند استخدامها على الهواتف الذكية مثل Android - وسيلة سريعة ومريحة لإنجاز الأمور. في المجموع ، يحفظ بحث Google الشخص العادي 23 ساعة في السنة.
إنها تساعد في دعم الحياة الأسرية. يستخدم الأطفال بحث Google و YouTube للواجب المنزلي. نتطلع إلى الإنترنت للبقاء على اتصال مع عائلتنا في جميع أنحاء العالم ، وتعد منتجات Google مصدرًا متزايدًا للمعلومات والنصائح حول الصحة والرفاهية.
يساعدنا على متابعة اهتمامات جديدة. يستخدم المصريون على نحو متزايد YouTube - وقد تجاوز التلفزيون التقليدي مع جماهير الشباب. ماذا يستخدم الناس يوتيوب ل؟ لمتابعة اهتماماتهم - الموسيقى ، والرياضة ، والألعاب ، والجمال - ومساعدتهم فيما يفعلونه في المنزل ، سواء كان ذلك في الطهي أو في الأعمال اليدوية. في الوقت نفسه ، يتم استخدام بحث Google لمساعدة الأشخاص في العثور على معلومات جديدة وزيادة معرفتهم.
يساعدنا في إيجاد طريقة للاستمتاع بوقت الفراغ الذي لدينا. واحدة من مزايا توفير الوقت هو أنه يمكنك استخدامه على الأشياء التي تستمتع بها. مرة أخرى ، يستخدم الأشخاص في مصر منتجات Google لمساعدتهم على القيام بذلك - من خلال مشاهدة البرامج على YouTube ؛ أو تنزيل الألعاب والتطبيقات على متجر Google Play.
كل هذا يعادل قيمة كبيرة. توصلت نماذجنا إلى أن منتجات Google تنتج 131 مليار جنيه إسترليني على الأقل في فائض المستهلك للاقتصاد المصري.
1.2 Google is used by an ever-greater proportion of Egyptians
A rapidly increasing number of Egyptians are using the internet
Increase internet usage in Egypt
In 2000 just 1% of Egyptians used the internet. Since then there has been an explosion in demand and access. In 2018 - for the first time - over half of the Egyptian population got online, and in 2019 penetration has increased further to 53.5%2 3.
In our poll of Egyptians, smartphone usage has also substantially increased. 18% of respondents had started using a smartphone regularly in the last three years.
When did you start using a smartphone?
Egyptians online are turning to Google’s products
We first wanted to understand if internet users in Egypt were choosing to use Google products or alternatives. We polled online Egyptians across regions, age groups and gender and found that the equivalent of:
Google Search
adult Egyptians
use Google Search;
YouTube
adult Egyptians
use YouTube;
Google Maps
adult Egyptians
use Google Maps;
Many of those users are new. Over 83% of Google Maps users and 50% of YouTube users started regularly turning to the products in the last five years. Egyptians are also finding Google Maps and YouTube increasingly useful: compared with five years ago, 84% use YouTube more frequently; and 60% use Google Maps more frequently.
When did you start regularly using...
1.3 Getting things done
Why do so many people use Google products? Our polls and economic modelling find that Google’s Search and Maps services are faster and more convenient than the alternatives. This provides direct benefits - Egyptians can find answers to their questions and get to locations more quickly - but it also frees up time for other endeavours. That ability to get things done has been enhanced by the increasing use of the internet through using smartphones, which in Egypt are usually Android.
Saving precious time
Saving time with Search
From our polling we know the reason that people use Search so heavily is because they believe it allows them to find valuable information easily, quickly, and learn new things that traditional methods make difficult. When we offered people a range of reasons why people use Search:
Speed
it is faster than alternatives;
Convenience
it is easier than the alternatives.
How much time do you save with Search?
Previous research has found that users save at least 23 hours a year from Search compared with other methods of finding information because it is faster and easier to access. If you included the time saved by applying the new information from Google – trying out a new recipe, or learning a new skill – the time saved would be even greater.
In 23 hours or less you can:
- Walk from New Cairo City to the Suez Canal (El-Shaarawy)4
- Watch Grand Hotel 1.5 times over, or 46 episodes5
- Read Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz 3 times.6
How much do people use Google Search?
Google’s stated mission is to “organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” But how much does access to information matter? How much do Egyptians in their everyday life look for new information?
The answer is that they need it a lot. Our poll found that 2 in 5 adult Egyptians use Google Search. Google Search is now one of the most-used consumer goods. Indeed, if you considered its impact on domestic life, the average is more than two times as likely to use Google daily than domestic appliances such as irons. It is embedded in our lives.
Usage of Google Search by Age
Saving time with Maps
Until relatively recently, we relied on atlases and paper maps to find new places. We may also have got into arguments about directions while driving, or been worried about going to unknown locations on our own.
Today, the equivalent of one in three Egyptians turn to Google Maps at least once a month and a high proportion of those use it daily. When we asked a series of questions about why people used Google Maps, we saw that saving time - through avoiding traffic, avoiding getting lost, or to getting better directions - was very common.
Our modelling estimates find that people save three hours a year through using Google Maps – sometimes in their car, and sometimes using public transport or walking.
Percentage using Google Maps at least once a month to...
Anywhere, anytime
Answering questions and getting work done while on the go
A few years ago, people were still predominantly using the internet on computers, sitting at a desk or in an internet café. But the most recent transformation has been our ability to access information, get to places, and do things while we’re on the go.
82% of the Egyptians we polled are Android users and over 90% are smartphone users.
We identified four interesting ways in which Egyptians use these products while on the go.
Egyptians now get things done while they travel
First, smartphones and Android have changed our experience as we travel.
Egyptians increasingly spend their travelling time:
Looking up information.
Enjoying themselves.
Managing work.
| While travelling or running errands during day to day life, how likely are you to... | |
| Use Google Search to answer a question | 74% |
| Answered your work email or done other work | 60% |
| Checked your calendar | 37% |
| Use Maps or a calendar reminder to avoid being late to a meeting | 29% |
Real-time information helps Egyptians shop
Second, we found that people are using their ability to ask questions online to support better decisions offline say they use their phone to research a potential purchase in a shop in the last year. This allows them to avoid products which get poor reviews, and make sure they are paying a good price.
Egyptians now decide what to do while on the go - and get there as fast as possible
Third, it is changing how Egyptians find new experiences at home. Restaurants and businesses once relied on word of mouth. Tourists would often stick to places that were near major sights, rather than go to higher quality places elsewhere. Now Google Maps gives accurate, real time information- live traffic view has been available in Egypt since 2015.7
| How often do you use Google Maps to... | |
| Find a local business | 64% |
| Find a nearby restaurant or cafe | 73% |
| Get directions while travelling | 64% |
| Avoid traffic congestion or public transport delays | 64% |
Search is also used for this purpose. 77% of those we polled said they had used Google Search to help them find a restaurant and 77% have also used Search to find a local class or activity.
Google products support tourism - in Egypt and for Egyptians abroad
The internet has transformed the way in which we travel and enjoy holidays. Online rating sites, real time information on flights and costs, and the ability to navigate around strange places have helped us have relaxing holidays that live up to our expectations.
In our polling we wanted to understand whether Egyptians who are online use Google’s services while on holiday. We found that many of them did:
There’s also some signs that people are increasingly adventurous. 82% of online Egyptians say they have been more likely to try a new place because they know they have online directions and would never get lost.
Maps: Virtual Tour
In 2014, Google launched a virtual tour of the Pyramids of Giza and 5 historical sites across Egypt in Google Street View. They’ve used 360º mapping, aerial imagery and millions of photos stitched together, to recreate Egypt’s most beautiful and iconic panoramas for you to explore. The interactive Maps experience takes visitors on an immersive journey into Egypt’s ancient history. The Pyramids are amongst the top 10 viewed sites on Google Maps.
The Pyramids of Giza have survived nearly five millennia and are the planet’s oldest man-made wonder. Their legacy—and the legacy of many other sites of ancient Egyptian culture—are preserved with panoramic and immersive Street View imagery.
AI assistants on the go
35% of Egyptian internet users told us they had tried using an AI personal assistant, (such as Siri, Google Assistant, or Cortana) and 15% now used them on a daily basis. These users were almost exclusively phone users - suggesting that Google Assistant and its equivalents on other smartphone devices are increasingly popular. Google Assistant specifically was launched in Egypt in May 2019 - it is therefore likely that in future years its usage will grow.
Google Assistant
Google launched Google Assistant in Egypt in May 2019. The Google Assistant is a virtual assistant available on mobile devices designed to help people get more things done with their phone. The Google Assistant can understand the Egyptian dialect and supports hands-free calling. It is designed to support requests from booking flights and finding cinema timings to searching for new job opportunities. The Assistant is designed to help internet users get more things done with their phone while they are on the go (like driving or exercising), at work (setting alarms, quickly finding information on the web), or while they are with friends and family (jokes, singing fun songs). It will be able to complete a range of tasks using your phone without having to touch your device. While building the Assistant in Arabic, Google relied on machine learning and natural language processing (which helps the Assistant understand Arabic) and natural language generation (which helps it speak Arabic). The team behind the Assistant also developed new technology necessary to process and generate diacritics, the accents used in Arabic to pronounce the same letters in different ways. Diacritics are an element necessary for Arabic pronunciation since the language has many words that may have the same letters but mean different things, and diacritics help differentiate between those words.
1.4 Supporting family life
A recent Harvard University study that tracked people over 80 years found that the biggest predictor of happiness was the number of ‘warm relationships’ we have with other people. 8 Many of those relationships are with our families: our children; our partners; our parents; and others.
We found through our polling that Google products are increasingly used to support family life. Because family life is complicated and multifaceted, there are lots of different ways that support manifests - through helping children learn; through connecting with loved ones online; or by keeping us healthy and safe.
Supporting children’s learning
Google Search and YouTube are used by millions of students to study history, science, geography and more. They have the ability to find any piece of information within seconds, from a wide range of reputable sources: worldwide, there are over 500 million views of learning-related content every day.
In our poll we found that 74% of parents online say that their children used Google Search to help with their homework. 73% of online parents use Search as a source of advice on their children - their development, their diet, and useful activities for them.
Digitising Egypt’s school curriculum
Nafham is an online educational YouTube channel and App that provides school students with free access to educational videos that explain school curricula (pre-school to 12th grade) in Egypt. Their channel currently has almost 10,000 videos (many of which are crowdsourced), over 750,000 subscribers, and over 121 million views. The founders created the YouTube channel with the aim to instil in students a love for education and a deeper understanding of the learning process, while reducing cultural obstacles to educational success that exist in some environments, and reducing the need for families to have to resort to private tutoring. This free online K-12 crowd-sourced educational platform is linked to the mandated public curriculum and provides 5 to 20 minute videos that are checked and revised by professionals. The videos explain concepts usually studied in class using different approaches and are categorized by grade, subject, term and academic schedule.
How parents keep their children safe online
Google has a number of features designed to give parents control over their childrens’ screen time. Activity reports show how much time they’re spending on particular apps. Notifications also allow responsible adults to block apps and manage any purchases.
Google’s feature Family Link also allows parents and carers to set limits on screen time; bed times; and to lock devices.
If parents are ever worried about their child’s whereabouts you can use Family Link to locate their device.
Keeping in touch with friends and family
Once upon a time, if family-members moved, then it was vastly-more difficult to stay in contact. Over time, a more efficient global overseas postal services appeared. As phone calls became cheaper, they became another way that people stayed in touch.
Today, the internet has made seamless, instant, free communication possible. People can email, message each other, or talk to each other on video for free.
We found that the internet is increasingly becoming a way that people forge and maintain relationships. From our polling 54% of online Egyptians have forged a new friendship through online means. We also found that:
- 94% of online Egyptians use their smartphone or computer to keep in touch with people (this could include email, social media services or video); and
- 95% use it to keep in touch with extended family.
Android and other smartphones are also important in maintaining relationships. 79% of those we polled said that they are able to communicate with friends or family that they otherwise wouldn’t have spoken to at that time on a weekly basis.
Improving health and wellbeing
We all worry about our own health and those of the people we love. One of the advantages of the internet is that it gives people information about medical issues that - previously - they would have had to make demands on medical services for. We found from our polling that each year 91% of people use Google Search to look up questions about medical and health issues.
They also use it to think about their own wellbeing. 55% have used Search to look up local activities including fitness activities, and 83% have also used YouTube for fitness and wellbeing concerns.
Helping Egyptians find the right healthcare provider
To help grow the healthcare sector, Google partnered with Vezeeta, one of the leading healthcare platforms in Egypt, to enable healthcare providers to leverage the opportunity the web has to offer by creating free business profiles on Google My Business, which helps businesses reach and engage with customers across Google Search and Maps.
Promoting safety and security online
Safety programmes
Google announced the launch of “Abtal Al Internet” (English translation is “Internet Heroes”), a multifaceted program designed to teach children the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety in Arabic. “Abtal Al Internet” provides a range of resources and online activities for children, educators and parents to encourage digital safety and citizenship. The program also includes “A’lam Al Internet” (English translation is “Interland”), an online adventure which reflects the fundamentals of digital safety into hands-on practice for children to learn about online reputation, phishing and scams, privacy and security, online harassment and reporting inappropriate content. Google surveyed teachers in the Arab world to learn about their experience with online safety in the classroom. According to research, the majority of teachers believe children should start learning about online safety at home, and 98% of teachers believe that online safety should be part of the curriculum. One in three teachers reported that they had witnessed an online safety incident (sharing personal information or cyberbullying, for example) in their school. However, 84% of them said they do not have the necessary resources to teach online safety to their students.
So far, over 30,000 students, parents and teachers have been trained on internet safety through the Abtal Al Internet program.
1.5 Pursuing interests and developing knowledge
Finding and developing new passions
YouTube allows people to pursue their interests
YouTube is used by people of all ages. 2 in 5 adult Egyptians use YouTube. For Egyptians, we also find that under 35 year old internet users are likely to report watching it alongside - but more than - traditional TV.
However the pattern of watching YouTube is significantly different from traditional entertainment. Egyptians are much more likely to watch it for 30 minutes or less than for extended periods of time.
How often do you use YouTube on an average day?
So why is YouTube so popular - and why do people watch it in such a different way from traditional TV or movies?
We found that the kind of content that people use YouTube for is very different from traditional TV. People use YouTube to pursue their hobbies and interests - at home and online:
Cooking
Music videos
DIY
In some cases, young Egyptians are more likely to turn to free resources on YouTube than traditional paid help or entertainment. For example, we found that 18-24 year old Egyptians are more likely to:
- Learn about fitness and health (including workout videos) on YouTube than go to a traditional gym; and
- Watch music videos; TV shows; vloggers; or DIY and cooking tutorials on YouTube than go to the cinema.
This has the potential to save people substantial amounts of money on, for example, gym fees.
YouTube in Egypt
YouTube launched a hub called YouTube Mosalsalat which features more than 500 of the most iconic Arabic television series dating back to 1962 from across the Middle East and North Africa. Viewers can browse through more than 7,000 hours of Arabic series on YouTube, from any device, anywhere. The hub categorizes shows by year in an effort to make the search process for these shows simpler. YouTube also launched YouTube Aflam, a similar hub for Arabic films. Aflam currently features more than 1,000 movies and has had more than four million views since its launch.
Hadeel Marei, YouTube Creator
Hadeel Marei is a 24 year old dentist, comedian and YouTuber with almost 200,000 subscribers. Before graduating from dental school, her best friend and fellow YouTuber Maha Aj constantly encouraged her to start a YouTube channel since she knew of the profound passion Hadeel had for comedy and YouTube. Hadeel started posting regularly on YouTube starting April 2018 and since then she shared 60 videos which received over 8 million views. Most of her videos are recorded with her phone camera and are authentic, relatable and hilarious! Her first YouTube video titled “Get up and do what you want!” was her way of encouraging others (and herself) to make their aspirations a reality. Hadeel says, “YouTube allowed me to express myself, it is a platform where I get to create and connect with so many people online, forge make friendships, create lifelong memories, and not to mention that YouTube gave much-needed independence”.
Alaa Ghabour, YouTube Creator
Alaa Ghabour is a YouTube content creator who started her YouTube journey in September 2013. Since then, she shared almost 200 videos, garnered over 7.5 million views and gained over 151,000 subscribers. Alaa shares lifestyle and vlogging content on her channel to connect with youth, and especially young women, in Egypt and around the Arab world. Alaa was one of the winners of YouTube’s NextUp creator camp. The five-day workshop-intensive program, from content inception to production helps YouTubers reach the next level of growth for their respective YouTube channels. Content creators participating in NextUp are forming the region’s next wave of digital storytellers; amassing subscribers ranging between 10,000 to 100,000.
Having fun (music)
Earlier in this report we described the ways in which YouTube helps people pursue hobbies and passions. But we also find that a lot of Egyptians use YouTube for more traditional entertainment.
Boyband
Boyband is a pop music group formed in Egypt in 2014. Boyband was established by Hisham Gamal, the CEO of Roznama as well as a Producer, Singer, and Songwriter. The group consists of Hisham Gamal, Mohamed Gamal, and Mohamed Fouad. The group rose to fame with their debut song which was released exclusively on YouTube, “Eshha Bedmaghak” crossed 500,000 views within the first few hours of its release and now has over 11 million views. In the following year, they released their second hit song “Manzara” featuring Donia Samir Ghanem, which grew the group's success further.
The search for knowledge
As well as the convenience and ease with which Google products help people get things done, we also found that a high percentage of online Egyptians use Google Search to gain new knowledge and information. When we polled people we found:
Google Scholar: access to the world’s best research
From science and history to economics, academics across Egypt seek to advance human knowledge and understanding. Google Scholar helps people access that research. It is a simple way to search for academic literature across sectors and disciplines: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Some studies have found Google Scholar to have both better sources and to be more usable than other methods of finding academic papers.9
Dr. Monica Hanna is an Archeologist at Arab Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport. She began her academic studies at the American University in Cairo, where she majored in Egyptology with a minor in Archaeological Chemistry. She then pursued her doctorate at the University of Pisa. Throughout her studies and especially since completing her PhD, she has been actively using Google Scholar, in fact she uses it 2-3 per day to research and write about protecting Egypt's archaeological sites. So far, she contributed 10 citations covering Egyptian archaeology and history. Dr. Monica Hanna is currently the Founding Dean and Head of the Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Unit and Associate Dean of Admissions and Registration at The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport. According to Dr. Monica, Google Scholar helped her establish the College of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage and it’s curriculum, programs and departments in Aswan.
Dr. Monica’s Archaeology students also rely on Google Scholar for classroom discussions and assignments. Dr. Monica received the 2014 SAFE Beacon award and was recognized as “Monuments Woman” by UNESCO.
Discovering new facts and stories through Google Doodles
Google Doodles are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists. A group of Googlers get together regularly to brainstorm and decide which events will be celebrated with a doodle. The ideas for the doodles come from numerous sources including Googlers and Google users. The doodle selection process aims to celebrate interesting events and anniversaries that reflect Google's personality and love for innovation. Google Doodles are seen by millions of visitors to the Google homepage across desktop and mobile devices.
Over the years Google celebrated inspiring figures like legendary Egyptian actor and comedian Fouad el-Mohandes where Google highlighted his contribution to plays, TV shows, and motion pictures through the doodle, Google also celebrated Egyptian painter Tahia Halim who commonly depicted the Nile and boats through a folkloric impressionist style and signature brush strokes. On International Women’s Day, Google featured women in Egypt in their #OneDayIWill campaign filmed at the Pyramids.
1.6 Entertainment and free time
Supporting culture
Ramadan with Google: Prayer Timings, Qibla Finder, and Qalam from Google
To make it easier to find everything you need during Ramadan, Google created a special tool in the Middle East and North Africa and Indonesia that appears when you search for “Ramadan” on Google. You’ll find customized, locally relevant information—everything from tips and prayer timings to the most popular recipes —all right in your Search results.
Millions of Muslims around the world turn to Mecca every day for prayer. Google launched Qibla Finder, a web app that uses augmented reality to show you the direction of the Qibla wherever you are in the world. Google now enabled offline usage and a shortcut to add Qibla Finder to your Android homescreen, so you can locate Mecca when you’re on the move.
Ramadan and Eid greeting cards are the top trending searches before, during and after Ramadan. To help you create beautiful personalized messages to share during Ramadan, Google launched Qalam from Google.
Arts and Culture
Google Arts and Culture
Google Arts & Culture is an online platform through which the public can access high-resolution images of artworks housed in the initiative's partner museums. The Google Arts & Culture app is free and available on the web, on iOS and Android.
Google Arts & Culture puts over 1,500 museums at your fingertips. It’s a free, immersive way to explore art, history and wonders of the world.
Google launched a special experience within the Google Arts & Culture platform, where people can explore the treasures of ancient Egypt through a series of drawings, historic photographs and artifacts from the famed sites.
1.7 The value of Google products in daily life
In this chapter we have detailed all the ways in which Google products help people in their daily lives. But how significant is all this - what is the monetary value created by Google products? To put it another way, how much would you have to compensate Egyptians if you took the products away from them.
In order to better understand the value of Google, we produced a new estimate of the consumer surplus – the amount you would have to pay people to compensate them for losing access to a product or service - for Google Search, YouTube, and Google Maps.
We found that:
Google Search
For Google Search, the total consumer surplus is equivalent to E£ 71 bn, or E£ 87 a month for the median person.
YouTube
For YouTube, the total consumer surplus is E£ 48 bn a year, or E£ 53 per month for the median person.
Google Maps
For Google Maps, the total consumer surplus is E£ 12 billion a year or E£ 15 per month for the median person.
Together, this evidence suggests that traditional statistics like GDP might be doing a poor job of measuring the value created by the Internet. Other studies have found that if you included the value of free internet services within GDP, it would increase the recent rate of GDP by the equivalent of 0.3 percentage points a year. We explain the methodology of the findings in the last chapter.
- Including Google Economic Impact (US, 2019, Google), Google’s Impact in the UK: At Home, At School At Work (UK, 2018, Public First), Google’s Economic Impact (Canada, 2018, Deloitte),Google Economic and Social Impact (New Zealand, 2017, AlphaBeta), Google Economic and Social Impact (Australia, 2015, AlphaBeta) and Google’s Economic Impact: United Kingdom (UK, 2014, Deloitte)
- http://www.mcit.gov.eg/Upcont/Documents/Publications_2112014000_Future_of_the_Internet_Economy_.pdf
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/484939/internet-user-reach-egypt/
- https://www.google.com/maps/dir/30.5685772,32.2693176/New+Cairo+City,+Egypt/@30.2768394,30.699481,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x145822cffcd270e7:0x98b73d687889fd8!2m2!1d31.4913182!2d30.007413!3e2
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5857914/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_Walk, 512 pages, 250 words per page, 300 words read per minute, https://wordcounter.io/blog/how-many-words-per-page/, https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2012/06/04/do-you-read-fast-enough-to-be-successful/#10872258462e
- https://thinkmarketingmagazine.com/google-map-activates-real-time-traffic-feature-in-egypt-and-jordan/
- https://curiosity.com/topics/an-80-year-harvard-study-found-the-greatest-predictor-of-happiness-in-later-life-curiosity/
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/20865386?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents https://pdfs.semanticscholar. org/7dab/41504f61a8f85fc83c26e6700aad34a251c5.pdf 2