Research Article, Res J Econ Vol: 6 Issue: 4

The Role of Digital Media in Dictating the Intellectual Vacuum to Improve the Image of Arab Societies "Youth Class" Model

Mohammed Kamel Al-Quran^1*, Abed Al-Hakeem Al-Qarala¹, and Ahmad Orekat²

¹Department of Science, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan

²Department of Science, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan

*Corresponding Author: Mohammed Kamel Al-Quran Department of Science, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan, Tel: 9647500987554; E-mail: Quranm12@yahoo.com

Received date: 25 November, 2022, Manuscript No. RJE-22-48331; Editor assigned date: 29 November March 2022, PreQC No. RJE-22-48331 (PQ); Reviewed date: 13 December 2022, QC No. RJE-22-48331; Revised date: 25 January 2022, Manuscript No. RJE-22-48331 (R); Published date: 01 April 2022, DOI: 10.4172/rje.1000116

Citation: Al-Quran MK, Al-Hakeem Al-Qarala A, Orekat A (2022) The Role of Digital Media in Dictating the Intellectual Vacuum to Improve the Image of Arab Societies "Youth Class" Model. Res J Econ 6:4.

Abstract

Keywords: Digital media, Arab societies, Youth group, Intellectual vacuum

Introduction

Arab digital media suffers from a weakness in conveying the true image for Arab societies which faces many challenges, accompanied by the rapid global changes that call for creative and innovative solutions. The real challenge is the ability of digital media to create a value, moral and knowledge fence that protects Arab societies especially the youth group from relapsing into chaos, instability and destroying these societies. The Arab digital media is still playing its negative role by establishing a new concept that forms the new trends and attitudes in Arab societies. This helps in the emergence of sub-cultures in these societies, which conflict with Arab culture in thought and content, taking advantage of the state of the intellectual and spiritual vacuum in the new youth [1]. Unfortunately, this vacuum has been full in by cultivating false ideas in their minds, there is a lot of evidence on this. This reason may be among the most common reasons that contributed negatively to the consolidation of the emergence of subcultures and established the state of cultural invasion consciously or spontaneously at other times. Researcher identified six main parties to this research and was analyzed as follow: the family, the country, digital media, the image, the youth category, the intellectual vacuum.

The study problem

The problem of the study lies in addressing the correction of the inherited image of Arab societies and protecting young people from the false ideas presented to them through digital media of all kinds. The study questions center on the main question which is:

• Was digital media of all kinds able to present the true image of Arab societies, especially the youth group, and fill the intellectual vacuum in this group?

To know the relationship of digital media with the rapid transformations of Arab societies after the modern technological revolution and the extent of its impact on the youth group [2].

Theoretical framework

Security as a linguistic definition: Its source is security safety and honesty, with meaning: I have been secure, so I am safe. “I have secured” phrases is different from security and safety against fear. It is thus: “assurance of the soul and the removal of fear, including faith and honesty”.

Security as a term: It refers to a variety of income support formats. In the United Kingdom, social security gives retirement, sickness pension, injury compensation and maternity, it also includes other benefits such as disability compensation, unemployment compensation, child compensation, and family income compensation [3]. The meaning of social security in French law is based on national solidarity and insures workers and their families against risks that reduce or terminate their ability to earn money. It guarantees the following:

• Social guarantees: Diseases, maternity (paternity), disability, old age, death.
• Work accident guarantees: Occupational diseases.

Social security in France guarantees to all residents the protection from the dangers of illness, maternity, paternity and all family costs. Muhammad Amara defined the social security which is the peace that negates fear and dread from the individual or group in all life fields. If social security is lost, the society will become troubled and uncertain and it may disturb the foundations of the social system that may lead to changing the relationship between the two parties to the social contract [4]. As political scientists, they defined security in the intellectual framework due to three theories: the reality theory, the liberality theory, and the revolutionary theory. According to the reality theory, the state is the main actor which moves according to its awareness to protect its security, which requires the acquisition and use of power where necessary. Therefore, the targeted security is the security of the state that achieves social cohesion and political stability of the state [5].

The liberality theory rejects the idea that the state is the only actor in international relationships, its security is not limited to the military dimension only, but also extends to economic, social and cultural dimensions. While the revolutionary theory seeks to change the system, not just reform it as a necessary means to eradicate injustice. Ibn Khaldoun stated that “the security of Muslim community in the Islamic community, the maintenance of the public order under which individuals enjoy security and engage in charitable activities in peace [6]. All of this is necessary to achieve the security of individuals”. The emergence of the term human security is not recent in time; it came into the second half of the nineties. This concept has become a base of foreign policies; it was employed as a justification for diplomatic and military intervention and as a policy-making tool in foreign relations (Table 1).

Table 1: The features of the Arab social reality.

According to the above table, the social reality in the Arab world indicates that unemployment among university and intermediate degree holders during the past decade reached to three times in Algeria, five times in Morocco, and two times in Egypt and Jordan.

While the violence and crime as obstacles to achieve the social security in the Arab world

This shows that the great intellectual vacuum, on which human life and a major pillar upon which humanity’s creativity and giving are based, and a high purpose that individuals and groups aspire to achieve, and states and governments seek to provide [7]. It is associated with what society aspires to the progress and prosperity, As far as security and stability is achieved. The following table shows us what this phenomenon leads to (Table 2).

Table 2: Rate of drug addicts compared to other countries.

It is clear from the previous table that the rate of drug addicts compared to other countries and Arab per capita average income compared to the per capita average income in the United States and South America, which led to the phenomena of violence, delinquency and extremism in the Arab world. These phenomena are emerging in terms of strength and quality, not in terms of presence in the reality; as their percentages have risen with time as a result of the social and economic crises that Arab societies witnessed, which threatens the various social structures and strongly affects social security [8]. These percentages indicate that Arab societies are infected with drug disease, which is a manifestation of delinquency and at the same time represents a result of it, especially in the era of technology.

Unemployment and poverty are obstacles to achieve social security in the Arab world

Unemployment and poverty in the Arab world are among the major problems that have not found a radical solution to them despite many reform attempts and economic programs of various goals. Through this study, which is shown in the table below, it becomes clear the size of unemployment rates (Table 3).

Table 3: Unemployment and poverty in the Arab world.

Hence, the researcher argued that the increasing rise in unemployment led to an increase in intellectual insecurity. Moreover, the digital media had contributed significantly to insecurity and changing the image despite government reform attempts, whether Arab or local. The following table shows the approximate unemployment rates in some Arab countries (Table 4).

Table 4: The approximate unemployment rates in some Arab countries.

Where the category of higher education graduates suffers from the highest unemployment rate compared with other educational categories, which prompted increasing numbers of this category to work outside their major, as shown in the above table. These phenomena have several factors that characterize the Arab world, which can be identified in:

• The low level of the real economic growth rate in the Arab countries made the Arab economy unable to absorb a significant part of the Arab labor force, that willing to work.
• The role of the state and the public sector has declined in most Arab countries as a result of the trend towards privatization and the freedom of markets to a large extent.
• A large part of Arab spending of importing the consumer luxury elements.

The visual discourse which related to digital media, the image and the dynamism of the visual discourse that embodied in cinema and television. The manifestations of the visual discourse confirm that it must be full of expressions of human ideas and the spontaneity of events. The image language through which embodied the vocabulary of the visual discourse, the image had ranged from the primitive stage of inscriptions, decoration and sculpture to the photography era, in which the photographic image reflected a world as a document dominated by a static character [9]. Then, the cinema era which was called the era of the language of the camera and the pen, in whose procession the image started from silence to dynamism, full of movement and creative in the montage composition to this time in which the perceptions of the image embodied a structural connotation that included various aspects and fields of life, especially the media field which related to digital media. Its main characteristics based on the diversity of content between the still and moving image and the hypertext that allows the individual to navigate to the infinite between the image and the word [10].

When the material in the content of digital media is more suitable for the audience in language and content, its impact become greater. There is a permanent confrontation between the media and the individuals, this confrontation provides them with information, ideas, images and opinions, so some words are stuck in their minds and takes some opinions. Therefore, digital media, as a result of the feature of diversity and flexibility, has been able to perform the task of introducing what is new. In fact, digital media has played the role of the teacher and educator through providing educational videos, charts, the great expansion of computer applications and other programs broadcast by the media that go beyond that job to what is more deeper, general and comprehensive, to the extent that it can be said that the individual is born and grows a little until the media take care of him and provide him with the necessary education, guidance, entertainment, advertising and so on, and sometimes they present what harms the growth of personality and opinions, so they distort them [11].

Terminology of study

The family: It is the original entity that brings out the younger generations and the first caretaker for them. It is the one that has to establish the concept of enlightenment thought and Arab culture in the minds of its children through the simple role that can play. Probably everyone lives in a family, and has a role and influence through which cultivate the Arab enlightenment in the minds of the younger generations, brothers, sisters, parents and cousins.

The state: It is the official system or responsible for the security and protection of the state and the people. It controls the media and all other state facilities therefore it has the responsibility to work on modifying its vision for the quality of education, the method of education. It is also responsible for the relationship between the student and teacher through shifting from indoctrination culture to a new concept that establishes a stage of discussion and dialogue on all the issues in Arab world. Through the culture of dialogue, the enlightenment thought can be spread in the minds of the students, which benefits the students and contributes to the consolidation of positive and emotional thoughts in their minds [12].

Digital media: It is everything related to broadcasting the communicative message through its visual, audio and print media. The social communication (the social media) is the new element in it. Unfortunately, as a whole, it is still without ambition, but some of them have become a partner in the project of aborting Arab culture in the minds and behaviors of the young generations, and replacing them with a new project that consolidates the concept of cultural invasion with all its negative aspects. The largest category of these media has become a partner in spreading and establishing a new cultural pattern, which contradicts Arab culture in thought, future dimensions, historical differences and civilizational heritage.

Intellectual security: It is to ensure the safety of human thought from delinquency and out of centrism and moderation in understanding of religious and political matters and the perception of the universe, which leads to maintaining order and stability. This means that striving to keep individuals in this society in the centrism and moderation stage, so they do not become hardened in their opinions and gets to the atonement stage that leads to the use of violence and the killing of innocent people. On the other hand, do not let them steamroll on, so they goes to the left and liberation uncontrollably, until reaches the contempt for the principles and beliefs of society and the slighting of those who adhere to them.

Previous studies

A study conducted by Muhammad Hamid Youssef to investigate the political, economic and social variables related to the problem of terrorism, the results of study showed that the most important reasons that helped the formation of terrorist groups from economic factors, family social factors and psychological factors. The results also showed some aspects of the behavior of terrorist groups and some psychological and social characteristics of them. The study concluded some of the effects of joining extremist groups and their operations on their members, in addition to the success factors and expanding of the scope of terrorist groups and operations. Nourhan Mounir Fahmy conducted a study which entitled: “The Religious Values of Youth from the Perspective of Social Service”. The results of the study showed that religious culture and using leisure time positively are among the factors that prevent university students from being radicalized or intolerant, and that the intellectual vacuum experienced by young people generally, University youth particularly, lead them to fall prey to extremist ideas, and university youth are in need of joining organized religious groups and understanding their religion in a sound manner [13].

Mohamed Sayed Fahmy conducted an evaluation study which entitled “Youth and Extremism”. The study aimed to identify the attitudes of a segment of young people towards the issue of extremism in order to identify social trends and provide social service activities to be a guide for young people. The results of the study showed that the intellectual vacuum and the weakness of religious culture make young people prey to falling into religious extremism, and there is a positive relationship between university youth care activities and the prevention of religious extremism. The study recommended the intellectual essentialism of young people so as not to leave the religious heritage in the false interpretations.

It is clear from the objectives and results of the previous studies that they differ with the current study in some aspects, and agree with it in others. Noteworthy, the difference in the current study objective, its questions and its sample made it different from previous studies, noting that this difference does not negate that the researcher benefited from previous studies in terms of the used methodology and the used tools in explaining the new roles of the media in forming public opinion. The researcher also benefited from the findings of those studies and the way they were presented in developing the research tool. This means that the current study was an extension of previous studies in terms of the importance of directing media institutions towards research and exploration for ways to explain the new roles of the media [14].

Materials and Methods

The researcher identified the problem of the study with the following main question: “Was the Arab digital media able to present the true image of Arab societies? In order to answer the questions of the study, a number of procedures were performed, which represented in defining the method, describing the study population, the tool that was used, its validity and reliability indications, and the method through which the scientific material for the study was collected. Below is an explanation for that.

First: Study methodology

In this study, the researcher followed the descriptive analytical approach, by investigating the new roles of the media in the role of digital media in filling the intellectual vacuum to improve the image among young people for the advancement of Arab societies in the light of the knowledge based society from the view point of workers in digital media. In addition, collecting and analyzing data in order to reach specific results that help explain the phenomenon and answer the study question, through a questionnaire that addresses the study's dimensions.

Second: The original populations and the study sample

The study populations consist of all groups of society. In a next step, an intentional sample was chosen, which consisted of 100 digital media workers, from the local community and workers in the state sector. After determining the required sample size with taking into account the proportions of the distribution in the original population according to the gender and academic year variables, and the following table shows the distribution of the study sample according to the gender variable (Table 5).

Table 5: Distribution of the study sample according to gender variable.

It is clear from the table that the study sample was distributed by gender to (53) of the various categories that were participated in this study, representing (50.66%) of the total sample of males, and (47) of the various categories that were participated in this study with (49.34%) of the total sample of females in order to know the percentage of the intellectual vacuum and the role of digital media in improving the image for the advancement of our Arab societies.

Fourth: The study tool

To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher prepared a questionnaire that included three dimensions in order to identify the new roles of digital media. The opinion of the community was taken as explained previously; also the questionnaire was presented before distributing to the Face validity (Corrected validity).

Fifth: Statistical methods

The researcher relied in analyzing the results in general on the computer using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences program (SPSS).

Results and Discussion

After the researcher analyzed the results of the study in the light of the responses of a sample, according to the main question: “Was the Arab digital media able to present the true image of Arab societies?” To answer this question, the arithmetic averages and standard deviations of the responses of sample members for each item in the family dimension were calculated in descending order, the general average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in relation to the family dimension through the gender variable [15] (Table 6).

Table 6: Arithmetic averages, standard deviations, and ranks of responses to the family dimension through the gender variable.

It is clear from the table that the arithmetic average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in relation to the family dimension came with a good degree. Moreover, the arithmetic averages and standard deviations of the responses of sample members for each item in the country dimension were calculated in descending order, the general average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in relation to the country dimension through the gender variable (Table 7).

Table 7: Arithmetic averages, standard deviations, and ranks of responses to the country dimension through the gender variable.

It is clear from the table that the arithmetic average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in relation to the country dimension came with a good degree. With regard to calculating the arithmetic averages and standard deviations of the responses of sample members for each item in the digital media dimension were calculated in descending order, the general average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in relation to the digital media dimension through the gender variable (Table 8).

Table 8: Arithmetic averages, standard deviations, and ranks of responses to the digital media dimension through the gender variable.

It is clear from the table that the arithmetic average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in relation to the digital media dimension through the gender variable came with a good degree. As for image dimension, the arithmetic averages and standard deviations of the responses of sample members for each item in the image dimension were calculated in descending order (Table 9).

Table 9: Arithmetic averages, standard deviations, and ranks of responses for the items of the digital media dimension to the image.

It is clear from the table that the arithmetic average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in related to the digital media dimension to the image came with a good degree. With regard to calculating the arithmetic averages and standard deviations of the responses of sample members for each item in the intellectual security dimension were calculated in descending order (Table 10).

Table 10: Arithmetic averages, standard deviations, and ranks of responses for the items of the digital media dimension to intellectual security.

It is clear from the table that the arithmetic average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in relation to the digital media dimension in relation to intellectual security came with a good degree. With regard to calculating the arithmetic averages and standard deviations of the responses of sample members for each item in the youth group dimension were calculated in descending order (Table 11).

Table 11: Arithmetic averages, standard deviations, and ranks of responses for the items of the digital media dimension to youth group.

It is clear from the table that the arithmetic average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image in relation to the digital media dimension to the youth group came with a good degree. Hence, it becomes clear that the role of digital media in improving the image for the advancement of Arab societies and the intellectual vacuum among young people through the dimensions related to the study (the family, the country, the digital media, the intellectual security and the youth group) still not changed, therefore the society of all shades has to take into account the material aspects in the Arab societies in the light of the era of modern technology.

Conclusion

The study also aimed to identify the destination of the family, the country, digital media, intellectual security and the youth group, according to the study variable (gender). A study sample was represented in a random manner ranged between different categories of Jordanian families, an intentional random sample of state employees and a selected sample of digital media workers of different ages and jobs.

The study reached a set of results summarized in the following:

• The general average of intellectual vacuum related to the role of media in improving the image was good in relation to the family dimension.
• The general average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of the media in improving the image was good in relation to the country dimension.
• The general average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of media in improving the image was good in relation to the digital media dimension.
• The general average of the intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image was good in relation to the image dimension.
• The general average of intellectual vacuum related to the role of digital media in improving the image was good in relation to the intellectual security dimension.
• The general average of intellectual vacuum related to the role of media in improving the image was good in relation to the youth category.
• There were no statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) between the average of the family, the country, and the digital media in relation to the new roles of the digital media, due to gender variable.

Recommendations

Based on the results of the theoretical and field study, the researcher presents a set of recommendations that may contribute to know the new roles of digital media in improving the image of our Arab societies, which are as follows:

• Demonstrating the true image of the Arab society through digital media to refute the stereotyped image of other societies in the light of contemporary changes.
• Noting the openness of digital media to the world, especially international news agencies.
• Improving the image of Arab societies by employing information and communication technology and applying it in all digital media centers, in addition providing a variety of knowledge sources, such as electronic and paper centers, and providing a database and statistics that serve the work of these centers for the advancement of our Arab societies.
• Searching for new ways to employ the unemployed youth group.

Either the most important recommendations

Demonstrating the true image of the Arab society through digital media to refute the stereotyped image of other societies in the light of contemporary changes. Noting the openness of digital media to the world, especially international news agencies. Improving the image of Arab societies by employing information and communication technology and applying it in all digital media centers, in addition providing a variety of knowledge sources, such as electronic and paper centers, and providing a database and statistics that serve the work of these centers for the advancement of our Arab societies. Searching for new ways to employ the unemployed youth group.

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