The Perceptions of Wasta Among Social Media Users in the Gulf Cooperation Council Region
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This article explores the phenomenon of wasta, a form of nepotism deeply embedded in the socio-cultural fabric of the Arabian Peninsula, particularly within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states (namely Bahrain, Kuwain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) and its dynamic. Despite ongoing modernization efforts and attempts to combat corruption, wasta persists as a critical mechanism for social and economic interactions. Through a combination of Gadamer's hermeneutic method and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), this study analyzes public perceptions of wasta based on data from social media platforms Reddit, YouTube and King Fahad Petroleum University Forum.