The culture, thinking and interests of Arab societies have changed in the past 30 years. In the past we were following politics because it was our decision. There was one television set in the house where the entire family and other television sets were available, if any, used to watch videos or Nintendo and Sega games at the time.
We knew the capitals of all the Arab countries from the news bulletins. We knew about the Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the United States, and we were between 10 and 12 years old. When the former Iraqi regime invaded Kuwait, we were discussing it among the neighborhood's children and we were aware of the political alignments it created. Invasion, and how divided the Arab world.
All this through one device in the hall of each house broadcast three channels are the most watched: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Our Arabic language was very strong because we watched the news on television and listened to it on the way to school on the way to school, as well as following the animated programs in dubbed Arabic, which was a reason to respect the language in ourselves.
What I followed in my home at the time was followed by every child in the state, and what my older brothers followed me and what they read in the three main newspapers at the time was exactly what their peers read in every country. The information comes from the official channels of the state and is clear and known and can not fabricate and broadcast rumors and lies.
The lack of channels at the time and its focus on local and international political affairs made politics the focus of the people at the time, and strengthened the political culture in the UAE society and all Arab societies. Thirty years later we entered the digital age, news applications more than your head hair, and Arab news channels around the clock have multiplied at the level of each country, as well as newspapers and radio.
This is in terms of government and private media under the supervision of countries. On the other hand, we have the "Media Media" and the revolution that has resulted in the rapid transfer of information, but here the picture has changed and the policy has fallen in the public and replaced by other concerns, most notably what is happening in the " Twitter.
The public did not care about Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or the last sovereignty over the Golan, and there is no interaction with the Arab summits, if any, because of a marginal incident such as the departure of the Emir of Qatar because it is funny. I do not see any serious interest or discussion about the political changes in Sudan and Algeria, neither in the media media nor in the youth of the councils. Even those who are over 60 in general are not interested in politics, and there are certainly some exceptions.
Those interested in politics are politicians, researchers, analysts, editors of channels, newspapers and students of international relations, but outside these circles you will find no one cares little.
The nature of the media has changed from limited to diverse, creating a saturation of politics, and the emergence of the platforms of "Social Media" has made an ideal factor for distraction and superficial enhancement, and the spread of the Internet among people prompted them to look at other things. Man is affected by his environment changes by evolution or underdevelopment.
Abdulla.AlQamzi@emaratalyoum.com
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