المحتوى الهابط: طفح الكيل؟

The public taste in our society is facing a flood of poor content that reaches us even though we do not seek it; it encounters us on the fringes of social media sites and on trending spaces and the millions of views that surround us every time we pass through those sites. With all its low absurdities, it has imposed itself upon us, and social occasions held here and there are documented through video cameras on smart devices and broadcast via Snapchat, X platform, TikTok, Jako, WhatsApp, and other diverse social media platforms. The obsession with appearance, cheap competitions, attempts to create excitement, attract attention, and seek fame, as well as settling scores, are among the reasons for this tremendous explosion that flows to us from all directions, presenting us with many patterns, behaviors, and phenomena that are emerging in our society and even affecting the youth.

We find that it has gone too far, and the patience of the audience has run out today. Even the image of generosity and its great value in our society has been violated and distorted in a blatant manner. Since when does an Arab man film his guests eating at his table and expose them through millions of views just to be called generous or a symbol of generosity and hospitality?

And you cannot escape from these disturbing scenes until some of those labeled as celebrities on social media appear, revealing practices that tarnish the image of Saudi society. Some of them create false and deceptive scenarios aimed at achieving high views, appearing as boastful and exaggerated, whether in celebrating guests at wedding parties, in public occasions, or in exaggerated practices and gifts during wedding nights, or insulting symbols, entities, or tribes, or creating trivial content to attract as many views and followers as possible, seeking fame by any means necessary.

Many concerned individuals have called on the Ministry of Media to intervene to stop this chaos and poor content. I believe that the Media Regulation Authority is now required to issue special regulations to monitor the local content flowing from social media with new laws that include appropriate fines and penalties according to a publicly announced legal framework, urgently, to preserve public taste and limit the production of poor content and the ethics of Saudi society, which takes pride in its authentic Arab identity and its deep-rooted religious values.