The media landscape in the MENA region has been undergoing a profound transformation for several years. The digital revolution and the advent of social media have given rise to new actors and modes of information consumption. In this article we will come back with Bachar Kiwan, on the situation of the information industry in the Middle East.
The relationship between media and social networking platforms
In partnership with Twitter, Sky News Arabia organized an interactive talk show on the Twitter platform that focused on the relationship between traditional media and social networks. It included a discussion of the major changes that have taken place in the Middle East media sector.
All speakers agreed that the real challenge for traditional media is not the emergence of social media but the way in which they are used. Indeed, even if they compete with traditional media, they offer many advantages, such as speed of access to information, the elimination of barriers and geographical distances, and the social nature of events.
Take Twitter as an example. All you need is a smartphone and Internet access to get information in record time, thanks in particular to Hashtags and retweets that allow you to discover the most popular topics. As a result, traditional media professionals also rely on these platforms, as do private individuals, to stay informed.
Bachar Kiwan, on the other hand, believes that social media can be seen as competitors and partners at the same time, because even if they compete with traditional media, especially print media, they still provide good support to journalists and media in general, as they allow the latter to develop their performance and provide creative media coverage.
On the other hand, these platforms are not really without drawbacks, for Bashar Kiwan their danger lies essentially in the fact that they are not regulated, which calls their credibility into question.
Social platforms as a service to traditional media
Although many researchers believe that traditional media will always continue to exist with or without the help of social media, because they are the only sources that provide us with objective and accurate information on population news and public opinion trends. Bashar Kiwan, for his part, believes that we should not dwell on the question of new or old media, simply because these terms refer to a specific period and context. Simply because today’s traditional media were perceived as new when they first appeared. Rather, he said, it is necessary to focus on the question of reconciling the two forms in order to give rise to authentic, reliable and relevant content for the digital age. Either a new form of traditional, reliable media that respects the ethics of journalism, public opinion and the privacy of citizens while being available on digital media.
