The research aims to study the positive repercussions of media digitization in the Egyptian environment to determine the impact of media digitization infrastructure on improving the performance of media institutions operating in Egypt. It then examines the positive repercussions of attracting skills and competencies for media digitization in the Egyptian environment to identify the effect of the media digitization process on enhancing the performance of workers in media organizations operating in Egypt and to determine how digital technologies can provide opportunities for self-learning and self-development for workers in these media organizations.
The study concluded that media digitization has a positive impact on improving the performance of media institutions operating in Egypt. Since the advent of satellites, communication methods have evolved, aided by the ease of broadcasting for sending and receiving, as well as the flexibility and quality of networking and the discovery and circulation of the Internet. By the early 1990s, the Internet became the latest means of communication, facilitating connection between all parts of the world so that textual, audio, and audiovisual information—alongside the development of multimedia devices—became easier and faster to circulate across different parts of the world without restriction or constraint. The remarkable development in communication and media in the current era led to the emergence of a new type of interactive media.
Media formats are diverse, encompassing news media, traditional media, and digital media. All people, regardless of age or level, use one or more of these media. Notably, media digitization has become dominant in society, with many newspapers transformed into electronic newspapers and many radio and television stations relying on digital media and the spread of social media platforms (Awad, 2020).
Gutenberg’s invention of printing was a revolution in media. In the late twentieth century, humanity witnessed massive technological leaps in communications and information that profoundly affected world cultures, constituting a new communication revolution. The computer dominated media, followed by the Internet; with accelerating technological development, the world entered the digital electronic age, an inescapable reality (Al-Nikheili, 2018).
In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, societies are changing rapidly and fundamentally. This revolution differs from previous ones in intensity, complexity, and breadth because it is rooted in a new technological phenomenon: digital convergence and its rapid penetration of the infrastructure of every institution (Buckland, 2019). Media institutions are among the most prominent of these institutions.
The revolution in communications and information technology produced a new type of media distinct in concept, features, properties, and tools from traditional media. Media digitization emerged amidst the technological leap the world is experiencing—a translation of the level of technological development the community has reached (Nasr, 2015).
Shaymaa Sadeq (2018) examined the effect of using media digitization in interactive advertising displayed on screens inside shopping malls on recall, understanding, and response to the advertising message. In a field survey of 45 individuals, the study found that media digitization stimulated recipients, evoked emotional effects, and achieved high comprehension, perception, and responsiveness to the advertising message.
Nihad (2018) investigated the introduction of information technology in civil service agencies to achieve high performance and optimal use. The descriptive analytical method and a random sample of 173 employees across ministries found that optimal control and use of IT positively affect employee performance in civil service agencies.
Hamdy (2019) compared news presented via interactive Internet multimedia versus traditional TV newscasts, using an experimental design with 90 participants under the limited capacity model. Interactive Internet media and media digitization increased perception and recall rates.
Abdel-Latif (2019) discussed media digitization as an emerging method for product marketing, stressing the need to integrate e-marketing stages into product design. Results highlighted digitization as a promising technique to reduce design costs, ensure product quality, and increase sales.
Ben Zaidi (2019) studied Internet use and data exchange within organizations via internal networks. Using a descriptive approach, the study underscored the Internet’s role in easing information exchange at lower cost.
Khattab (2020) analyzed immersive storytelling produced with media digitization and its impact on cognitive processes. A quasi-experimental design showed immersive imaging improved recall and understanding compared to traditional video.
Awad (2020) tested media digitization in creative printed ads using an experimental approach; results showed ease of application without special glasses, forecasting its future prominence.
Ahmed (2020) explored IT investment’s role in developing institutional performance in higher education. A stratified random sample of 294 administrators showed IT investment strongly relates to performance improvement and workload reduction.
Souad (2020) surveyed 74 economic institutions on ICT adoption, finding ICT improves organizational effectiveness and supports adoption despite digital divides.
Nisi Nunes, Oakley, and Valentina (2021) presented interactive digital storytelling research at Madeira-ITI, showing users can shape stories with digital support.
Research on media digitization in media studies and its effects on content production and audiences is still early—especially in Arabic scholarship—and requires further experiments to enhance effective use.
Many studies focused on advertising, given its suitability for digitization and large potential impacts.
Most studies employed experimental or quasi-experimental methods to test effects of exposure to the new digital reality.
Data collection tools varied, including experimental tests, achievement scales, and questionnaires.
Prior studies did not address the current study’s focus on the positive repercussions of media digitization in Egypt, the challenges faced, and ways to overcome them.
Digital transformation theory (Fidler, 1997) explains the relationship between traditional and new media. Drawing on Rogers’ diffusion model and Saffo’s insights that innovations take about three decades to permeate culture, Fidler coined “media morphosis” to describe the radical, gradual change of media driven by needs, political and social pressures, and technological innovation. All media forms coevolve in the human communication system.
Fidler identifies six principles: coexistence and coevolution; metamorphosis; propagation; survival; need and opportunity; and delayed then widespread adoption of digital media devices (Youngwon, 2009). He argues three transformative tools in human communication evolution: spoken language, written language, and digital language. Digital language uniquely enables machine–human communication (Amin, 2014).
Daft and Lengel (1986) used media richness theory to classify and evaluate media by their capacity to change understanding within a time frame. Richness is the potential information-carrying capacity. The theory posits media differ in richness; richer media reduce ambiguity and uncertainty by offering rapid feedback, multiple cues (e.g., multimedia), personal focus, and natural language (Abdel-Moati, 2013).
Effective communication depends on matching medium richness to task equivocality; richer, bidirectional media with audio, video, and interactivity outperform lean media for complex content (Tarabishy and Abdelaziz, 2006).
Davis (1986) developed TAM to explain and predict user acceptance of information technology via perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioral intention (Khattab, 2020).
Egypt’s Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center issued a bulletin on “Media Digitization—Social Implications,” highlighting digital media concepts. Digital content production is adopting new patterns: digital technology adds interactivity, immediacy, and multimedia; AI, digitization, and immersive media add sensory presence, psychological engagement, and deep interactivity for journalists and audiences (Sadeq, 2018).
Media were strongly affected by digital transformation and multi-screen environments, heightening competition and reliance on moving images and interactivity (Al-Shammari, 2019). Societal reliance on technology has become a necessity across social, economic, and cultural spheres, with knowledge economies demanding digital technologies to raise performance (Abdel-Moati, 2013).
According to Digital Report 2022, Egypt ranked ninth globally for Facebook ad reach (47 million), twentieth for Instagram (18 million), eighteenth for Twitter (40.5 million), and fifteenth for YouTube (40.5 million). Introducing IT into Egyptian media institutions is a pivotal development to improve outputs and services. This study asks:
What are the positive repercussions of media digitization in the Egyptian environment?
What is the impact of media digitization infrastructure on improving the performance of media institutions operating in Egypt?
What are the positive repercussions of attracting skills and competencies for media digitization in Egypt?
How does media digitization improve the performance of workers in Egyptian media institutions?
How can digital technologies enable self-learning and self-development for workers in these media institutions?
What legislative, practical, and ethical challenges face media digitization, and how can they be overcome to achieve high efficiency and effectiveness?
Study the positive repercussions of media digitization in the Egyptian environment.
Assess the effect of media digitization infrastructure on improving performance of media institutions operating in Egypt.
Examine the positive repercussions of attracting skills and competencies for media digitization in Egypt.
Investigate how media digitization improves performance of workers in Egyptian media institutions.
Identify how digital technologies can enable self-learning and self-development for workers in these institutions.
Address challenges (legislative, practical, ethical) facing media digitization and propose solutions to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
The study aligns with Egypt’s digital transformation agenda across sectors, a relatively new concept requiring documentation and analysis. It adopts digital transformation theory, matching ongoing technological evolution and the study topic.
The study’s topic is timely amid technological and media advances, aiming to activate media digitization, reveal media institutions’ orientations, and gauge its effects on audience recall, understanding, and emotions. It also seeks to surface digitization challenges (legislative, practical, ethical) and propose optimal uses in line with Egypt’s digitization drive.
Media digitization has a statistically significant effect on improving performance of media institutions operating in Egypt.
Media digitization infrastructure has a statistically significant effect on improving performance of media institutions operating in Egypt.
Attracting skills and competencies for media digitization has a statistically significant effect in the Egyptian environment.
Media digitization has a statistically significant effect on improving performance of workers in media institutions operating in Egypt.
The descriptive analytical method was used to explain the phenomenon, provide precise data, and derive logical interpretations and predictions.
Given the diversity and size of Egyptian media institutions, a stratified random sample of workers in media institutions in Egypt was selected. A total of 384 questionnaires were distributed; 120 were returned.
A survey questionnaire was used, divided into four parts: (1) available infrastructure inside the media institution; (2) workers’ control and use of modern digital media technologies; (3) the role of digital media and its technologies in developing media performance; (4) personal data. A Likert scale was applied.
Instrument validity was ensured to confirm items measure intended constructs. Reliability was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha using SPSS v23; higher alpha indicates higher reliability. Pearson correlations examined relationships.
Media reflects the cultural, historical, and civilizational traits of its era. The information age has produced a new media pattern with broad political, cultural, and educational effects, making media central in society (Breik, 2018). Egyptian society is now open to all via technology, necessitating critical thinking. Media digitization shapes values, ideas, and beliefs; unreliable sources pose risks (Amin, 2014). Studying digitization is important given its growing impact on social, political, security, and cultural realities (Ismail, 2018).
Digital communications, emerging in the 1980s, gradually replaced analog systems. Advantages include clarity due to low noise, smaller equipment, consistent quality across copies, enhanced graphics and effects, robustness, flexibility to carry multiple forms (voice, image), cost reduction, and increased radio/TV channels (Bailey et al., 2009; Hassan, 2015).
Advocates highlight increased learner motivation via rich visuals, autonomous pacing, and responsibility, with access to global information beyond school walls (Khattab, 2020).
Since satellites appeared, broadcasting ease, networking quality, and the Internet propelled communication. By the early 1990s, the Internet facilitated global linkage; text, audio, and audiovisual information became easier to distribute worldwide. Internet emergence spurred all media to upgrade, improving content and form and enhancing communicative impact (Amin, 2014; Al-Rubaiey, 2020).
Rapid advances in modern media have produced interactive media, breaking traditional constraints. Messages are no longer monopolized by institutions; individuals can be creators and senders through large, easy-to-use interactive networks—tools of media digitization.
Media digitization merges old and new media on computer networks, transforming the linear top-down communication model into multidirectional flow where individuals can send messages widely, enabled by digital technology, interactivity, hypertextuality, multimedia, and personalization beyond national borders.
Media digitization refers to media content disseminated via channels outside traditional print, radio, and TV, driven by major shifts in production and distribution.
Media digitization features convergence of media forms on networked platforms, disruptive change to inherited models, and enhanced individual agency.
In the convergence era, journalism reverts to its core mission—keeping people informed—freed from medium constraints.
Recent years saw growth in digitization techniques across news platforms, including 3D interactive environments.
Satellite-driven measurement enabled better communication planning; satellite communications offer superior technical and economic performance versus terrestrial systems.
Increase activation of media digitization across all media forms due to its positive effects on comprehension, recall, and emotional engagement.
Reduce technical, ethical, and legislative barriers by providing support and enacting codes and laws governing this effective technology.
Provide appropriate academic preparation for media students to employ media digitization.
Bridge gaps between journalists and technologists via continuous training to effectively employ digitization in media topics.
Enhance digital literacy among audiences to maximize proper use and benefit.
Conduct more research on digitization techniques and journalistic stories, including analytical studies of digitized stories.
Focus on marketing applications, as digitization is promising for product design and promotional campaigns.
This descriptive analytical study faced constraints related to the novelty of media digitization and lack of regulatory frameworks. Practical limitations included data collection challenges and non-response from some sampled participants.