Saudi Media Forum: The public is driving transformations in the content industry

The Saudi capital, Riyadh, witnessed in-depth discussions on the radical transformations sweeping the traditional media landscape during the fifth edition of the Saudi Media Forum . A dialogue session entitled "The Audience: From Receiver to Content Creator" highlighted the rise of the "content creator economy" and its direct impact on major media institutions.

The context of digital transformation and the evolution of the media landscape

This discussion comes at a time when the world is witnessing an unprecedented digital revolution, where media is no longer the exclusive domain of traditional institutions with massive studios and printing presses. Historically, the relationship between media outlets and their audiences was one-way, but the emergence of Web 2.0 and social media platforms has turned this equation on its head, giving individuals a power of influence that rivals, and sometimes surpasses, that of major television networks.

The dominance of digital platforms and the power of individuals

During the session, Patrick Rizk, a digital expert, presented significant figures reflecting the scale of this change, noting that the Meta platform alone now boasts nearly four billion monthly active users, equivalent to approximately 60% of the world's population. Rizk emphasized that this widespread adoption was not accidental, but rather the result of cumulative technological development that began with the proliferation of smartphones, which transformed every individual into a "mobile media outlet" capable of shooting, editing, and publishing simultaneously.

He added that advanced and user-friendly content creation tools have democratized publishing, shifting the center of gravity from large corporations to individuals and influencers. In a local context, he noted that this shift represents a golden opportunity for Saudi Arabia, given its robust digital infrastructure and large, technically skilled youth population, positioning it to lead the way in the region.

Global competition and new dissemination standards

For her part, Karina Muhanna addressed the aspect related to audience behavior, explaining that the current media landscape is subject to new rules imposed by the audience, who have become partners in the industry. She pointed out that the audience is the ultimate arbiter in determining what spreads and what fades away, based on the quality of the content and its relevance to their interests.

Muhanna emphasized that competition is no longer confined to local or regional geographic areas, but has become a fierce global contest, with local brands and media organizations vying for global content available at the click of a button. She stressed the need to change content design strategies so that content not only provides information but also encourages audience participation, interaction, and feedback, thus fostering a sense of belonging and loyalty between the platform and its audience.

The future of interactive media

The session concluded with recommendations emphasizing that future survival will belong to institutions that succeed in integrating the audience into the content production cycle, and developing flexible strategies that keep pace with the speed of algorithms and the changing tastes of the audience, to ensure the desired impact in a constantly changing media environment.