Doha, Qatar –September 22, 2018:   In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) is organizing a symposium – The State of the Internet and Digital Future – to address emerging trends and the socio-economic implications of internet use around the world.

 

“The symposium is a platform for the discussion of important issues related to global media development and Internet use while giving our community a chance to hear from experts and leaders in the field,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO at NU-Q. “It also bridges between NU-Q and the World Internet Project of which we are a proud member institution and work closely with on a number of research projects.” 

 

The speakers will include Jeffrey Cole, director of the World Internet Project (WIP) and head of the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg in Los Angeles. He will be joined by two of his distinguished WIP colleagues and scholars Professors Sergio Goday Etcheverry of the Catholic University of Chile and Andreina Mandelli of Bocconi University of Milan, Italy. The panels will also include several faculty members from NU-Q. 

For a full schedule of the symposium, click here: 

 

The conference will also see the launch of NU-Q’s latest report – a one-of-a-kind five-year retrospection of its annual Media Use in the Middle East survey. The surveys examine attitudes and perceptions towards political expression on the internet, online regulation and privacy, entertainment and cultural preservation.

 

The retrospection provides much-needed intelligence and practical data for industry and public policy on media consumption and use in Arab nations that include, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, with a special focus on Qatar.

 

“Qatar has been a central focus in our study for several reasons including our proximity and the growing demand for scholarly research and intelligence on media consumption in this highly-advanced and connected community,” said Dennis.

 

He added, “Qataris are not only some of the most digitally connected citizens in the world, they are also perhaps the most unique in their digital use. This study provides an understanding into the communication ecosystem and reveals the socio-cultural changes in Qatar.”

 

Key highlights of changes in Qatar include the following:

The Media Use in the Middle East surveys by Northwestern University in Qatar have been conducted annually since 2013. Each year the survey has been conducted among 1000+ residents in each participating country, in collaboration with Harris Poll in conjunction with Pan Arab Research Center (PARC).