DUBAI: Twitter has turned to brain-imaging technology to study users in Saudi Arabia — with the findings suggesting that ads on the platform are less jarring than those on other social-media sites.

To conduct the study, the company teamed up with UK-based market research company Neuro-Insight, which uses brain-imaging technology to measure how people subconsciously respond to communications.

It explored how young people in Saudi Arabia respond to different types of content on global social media platforms, using brain-mapping technology to judge their receptivity in different mobile environments.

The research found that Twitter is the only platform where the audience is not interrupted by ads while consuming content, and therefore users do not react negatively to them.

It also showed that, while ads on some other platforms obtained higher levels of memory encoding than Twitter, these were combined with negative emotional responses. The ads attracted a high level of visual attention, but users found them jarring, the study suggested.

To conduct the study, Neuro-Insight gave users headsets with sensors that measure the tiny electrical impulses in the brain while participants used Twitter and other social-media platforms.

The measurements showed that ads on Twitter generate a stronger response in the left part of the brain. Ads on other social media platforms generated a stronger memory response on the right side of the brain, implying a more comprehensive response level but with less attention to detail.

The study surveyed 128 male and female social-media users aged between 18 and 44, all based in Saudi Arabia.

The participants, 80 percent of whom were Saudi citizens, were all Arabic speakers and regular Twitter users following at least 100 accounts, in addition to regularly using at least two other social media platforms.

Neuro-Insight CEO Heather Andrew said the study was conducted in Saudi Arabia because it has a large youth population and due to the important role social media plays there.

Neuro-Insight employs a method known as steady state topography (SST) to track the brain’s responses. Like an electroencephalogram (EEG), the technology measures the electrical activity in the brain. But while the EEG method tracks a wide range of frequencies that are complex and can send unclear signals, while SST can focus on more delicate areas of brain activity, hence providing clearer results.

Andrew said that the study suggested that ads on Twitter are less intrusive compared to those on other social media platforms.

“The advertising seems to be more seamless in the Twitter environment,” she said.

“The brain response to ads on Twitter is very similar to the response to all other content. Whereas on some other social-media platforms, ads seem to have a very different brain response — there’s more of a jarring effect. And as a result, ads have a much more positive, emotional response on Twitter.

“For most social-media platforms, when the ads appear you get a negative brain response. Whereas on Twitter, it’s actually more positive.”

Walid Issa, head of research at Twitter MENA, said: “We opted for neuro research in an effort to move beyond claimed responses to a survey, to access what really happens at a subconscious level. Our recent study in cooperation with Neuro-Insight has unlocked the variation of receptivity of users in Saudi Arabia. The study confirmed the belief that social media platforms are used by people for different purposes.”

Issa explained that the study was conducted in Saudi Arabia as it is a key market for Twitter, in the region and globally.

He added: “Twitter connects users to a network that expands far from family and friends, making the content unforeseen, which increases their attention and focus while browsing.”

Twitter on Sunday unveiled a campaign called #ElevatorTweets, which creates an interactive experience of rich media and video on the walls of an elevator.

When the elevator reaches a certain level, tweets appear with information about what is happening in Saudi Arabia relevant to the industry of the business operating on that floor.

• Originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat