The Role of Digital Media in Shaping the Discourse on Women’s Rights

Abstract

This study examines the role of digital media in shaping the discourse on women’s rights in Arab societies by analyzing the nature of media content and its contribution to raising rights-based awareness and promoting values of equality and empowerment. The research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, utilizing a survey method through a questionnaire administered to a sample of 210 participants from diverse social and professional backgrounds, in order to explore their perceptions of the effectiveness of digital media in addressing women’s issues. The findings indicate a moderate level of public awareness regarding the importance of digital media in supporting women’s rights. However, the digital media discourse still suffers from limited comprehensiveness and diversity, as well as weak continuity and insufficient alignment with international human rights frameworks. The results also reveal a deficiency in presenting influential female role models and a lack of systematic use of interactive digital tools, in addition to a noticeable gap between media discourse and social reality, which reduces its overall impact. On the other hand, the study demonstrates that interactive digital platforms, particularly social media and short-form visual content, are more effective in shaping public awareness compared to traditional media channels. The study concludes that improving digital media discourse requires the adoption of integrated strategies that enhance rights-based content, expand community engagement, and strengthen coordination between media and educational institutions, thereby contributing to the development of sustainable awareness that supports women’s empowerment in line with the demands of contemporary digital transformation.