Moving to a new country for work can be a daunting prospect. It’s normal to have thoughts, perhaps even doubts about what and how it’s going to change in your everyday life. The good news is that for the modern person and their pastimes, the answer to the above is “very little”.
Saudi Arabia is a fully modern and technologically up to date country, interconnected with the rest of the world. Your social media and communication apps are not going to miss you. For example, you can easily stay up to date with friends and family on Facebook. And for when you just feel like chatting with someone back home, you can’t go wrong with a videocall on Whatsapp, Messenger, Snapchat or any of the other widely popular messaging apps. As for social media themselves, as a matter of fact, you’ll probably end up snapping some gorgeous shots of Riyadh for Instagram, or maybe you’ll go viral by making a series of tiktoks with tips for expats. The potential uses of these apps are yours to choose.
Speaking of Tiktok, it is in fact the second most popular social media in Saudi Arabia, with roughly 70% of the total population of Saudi Arabia having active accounts based on statistics released last year. The first most popular being, naturally, Youtube, even with its social features being lacking compared to platforms such as Instagram or X.
That said, in today’s world where almost everything can be done through an app, Saudi Arabia is not left behind. Apps that you are familiar with, and apps you will discover and love will help you manage things both small and big such as ordering lunch, calling a taxi, or even making new friends.
Another question you will likely have regarding living in Saudi Arabia will have to do with your media consumption habits. However, there’s no need to fret: moving to Saudi Arabia won’t affect your access to your favorite media aside from moving abroad. Youtube, Spotify and paid streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video are readily available in Saudi Arabia, though you might notice that the content in the latter two might slightly differ from what you were used to back home due to the platforms themselves. However, platforms that are focused on one specific country such as Hulu, or platforms that are fairly new and not yet available in every country such as Disney+ might not be easily available.
However, the local media will not only help cover any media time you need, but you can also be assured in that major sporting events such as a World Cup, NBA playoffs or the World Series will be available for you to enjoy, regardless of your online media adventures. Or if online gaming is more your thing, the world most popular platforms such as Playstation, Xbox and Steam are here to satisfy those needs.
Saudi Arabia, Riyadh and Antara are fully connected to the rest of the world. Living here, you will never have to worry if you will be as well.
