Several Arab thinkers and writers discussed the impact of social media on the Arab cultural scene, warning of a slide towards culture becoming a form of entertainment and speed, losing its depth. The panel discussion was part of the Sharjah International Book Fair, titled 'The Intellectual on Screen: Transformations of Arab Cultural Media'. It featured writer and media personality Muhammad Rizq Nasrallah, writer and theater critic Ubaydu Bashah, writer and journalist Anfal Al-Duwaisan, and novelist Karima Akhdad, and was moderated by Dr. Ahmed Abdelhaleem Farajallah. Muhammad Rizq Nasrallah recalled his memories of great Egyptian writers, stating that the current generation 'has become a prisoner of what is happening in the West, consuming its culture without awareness or criticism'. Ubaydu Bashah believed that despite their negative impact, social media do not nullify culture, but they 'reduce it to superficial digital judgments'. Meanwhile, journalist Anfal Al-Duwaisan called for a rebalancing of entertainment and education in Arab media, emphasizing that entertainment 'is part of the media's functions, but not its ultimate goal'. Novelist Karima Akhdad confirmed that social media, despite their chaos, 'have allowed literature to reach a wider audience', but she warned against the dominance of speed and superficiality in the literary scene.
