Netizency’s Social Recap: March 2022 Trends

It's lights out and away we go with the 2022 Formula 1 season running its first two races in the Gulf for the first time ever. The opening event of the season, and the debut of the new regulations and all-new cars, was the Bahrain GP, followed by the Saudi Arabian GP in Jeddah. Many Gulf motorsports fans shared their excitement for the race developments as Mercedes, the team that had dominated the sport for the last decade, did not seem as powerful anymore. Instead, both Ferrari and Red Bull seem poised to be the contenders for the title.

Racing was not the only important sporting conversation this month, however, as the Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers decided the last spots for this year’s tournament. In a recreation of the African Cup of Nations’ final, Egypt faced Senegal in a two-match play-off that was ultimately won once again by the Senegalese. In the other play-off, Algeria found the same fate as its Arab neighbor when they were defeated by Cameroon. Both the Egyptian and Algerian communities in the Gulf expressed their sadness at having their national teams narrowly miss out on the first World Cup in an Arab country.

The most dramatic event of the month, though, was probably Will Smith at the Oscars, when the actor slapped host Chris Rock after making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. The whole world reacted to the incident, many showing their disapproval of violent acts on live television, arguing that actors should be role models for the rest of society and thus behave accordingly. Yet, others called out Hollywood’s hypocrisy in condemning a slap when the industry, in general, glorifies violence, especially towards women and minorities. All in all, most of the world witnessed an avalanche of memes, ranging from reactions to the slap to even Will Smith apologizing.

Finally, and on a bittersweet note, this month was historic for the region as it marked the conclusion of Expo 2020 Dubai. After being postponed for a year because of the Covid pandemic, the world fair finally opened its doors last year with resounding success, attracting over 24 million visitors from all around the world and boasting of world-class pavilions and programs. Naturally, such an important event couldn’t end without a bang, and so Gulf users shared their glee at the final performances on its closing day, including global stars Christina Aguilera, Norah Jones, and DJ Tiesto.