The Challenges of Traditional Media Driven by Youth

By: Alia Humaid

Communication students speaking at the AMF session

The Arab Media Forum, which was concluded recently in Dubai, focused on the challenges facing traditional media due to the generational shifts towards social networks.

This was the first time in the forum’s 10 year history that it has had youth speaking on the stage.

One workshop, “Arab youth create their own media platform”, came to question the ability of traditional media in the Arab world. New media users believe that the current shift to new media came as a result of traditional Arab media failure to satisfy and fulfill the needs of young people.

The speakers approved on the fact that new media sealed the gap created by the absence of genuine media, in the Arab world.

Abdulla Qassim, a student from the college of communication in University of Sharjah and a speaker at AMF said that youth have been excluded and disqualified from the Arab Media.

According to him, new media has an advantage in getting the voices of young people across, in a very short period of time, yet traditional media can still be used to do so