Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum revealed on Thursday that the number of people following him on social media website Twitter had reached four million.
In a post, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE said his total following including Facebook, Instagram and Google+ now exceeded eight million, making him one of the most popular world leaders.
“I am honoured by every individual who connects with me online, and grateful for the ideas that these connections created,” he said.
“Social media are tools for innovation and knowledge creation. They fuel our drive towards development, and inspire us towards cooperation.
“We shall always focus on using social media channels for the good of mankind, for collaboration, enlightenment, and as a source of information,” he added.
Last year, Sheikh Mohammed was ranked in the top ten most followed leaders on Twitter.
The ruler, who uses the Twitter account name @hhshkmohd, came in at number nine on the top 50 list, according to Burson-Marsteller’s Twiplomacy study 2014, an annual global study looking at the use of Twitter by heads of state and government and ministers of foreign affairs.
Twitter is growing in popularity, with many of the world leaders choosing the social network to make key announcements.
Sheikh Mohammed is particularly active on Twitter, with an average of 6 tweets per day (predominantly through his iPhone) about new initiatives, humanitarian work, and as well as announcements of major government changes. He also tweets in both Arabic and English, thereby maximising his reach.
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