Dive summary: 

• Social media networks, including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, have set up offices in the Middle East to capitalize on the rising popularity of social media occurring in the area after the Arab Spring.
• The rise in popularity of social media in the region has been attributed to the offering a place for people to speak openly which is not something that happens in the culture in person.
• The opportunities for social discourse are plentiful, but there is also great opportunities for businesses that can move into a digital advertising medium in a market where traditional print and TV ads remain dominant. 

From the article:

"Digital advertising in the Middle East and North Africa accounts for only about 4 percent of the region’s total advertising spending, at a value of $200 million, according to the most recent available estimate, but it has become the fastest-growing media platform in the region, said a study by the business services firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, published in 2011. Deloitte’s Arab Media Outlook projected growth in digital advertising spending in the region of 35 percent a year over the next three years, generating about $580 million across the region by 2015."