The Impact of Digital Media and Social Platforms on our Cultural Practices

Rethinking Culture, the Intellectual, and the Emergence of a New Human Mediator

By Dr. Reem Kassem

In an increasingly digitized world, the boundaries between traditional cultural spaces and new digital domains have become increasingly blurred. The rise of digital media and social networking platforms has fundamentally reshaped how culture is produced, consumed, shared, and even developed. These shifts are actively shaping the cultural heritage that future generations—hundred of years from now—will inherit. As someone who has spent the past few years immersed in a PhD journey on hybrid cultural engagement—while simultaneously conceptualizing Basita.live, a streaming platform for cultural content, or more accurately, a hybrid events platform—I have both witnessed and participated in this transformation by practice. I have also lived through the emergence of new music genres in Egypt that were born digital and electronic, then gradually transitioned onto live stages. Within my PhD research, I explored the nature of audience interaction with these new formats—particularly among harder-to-reach communities who do not typically attend traditional theatre venues. This article reflects on these experiences to consider the broader implications of digital media on cultural practices and how they are redefining what it means to be a cultural practitioner today.

Culture in the Age of Connectivity

Cultural practices, once localized and in many cases also confined to physical spaces such as theatres, galleries, and concert halls, is now unfolding on mobile phones, laptops, and virtual platforms. Audiences engage with content across continents in real time, transforming the ways culture is produced, shared, experienced, and also developed. As a result, the notion of culture itself has become increasingly fluid, shaped by immediacy, interactivity, and what appears to be a democratized participation. However, I always argue that this democratization is still heavily influenced by algorithmic gatekeeping, which determines much of what we see and what remains hidden—thus reinforcing new forms of power and visibility within digital spaces. It becomes clear, for example, that someone whose search history is dominated by mainstream or pop content is unlikely to be algorithmically exposed to a young artist performing a Mozart concerto.

Moreover, the monetization models emerging in this virtual economy—from ad revenue and subscriptions to influencer sponsorships and pay-per-view formats—are reshaping the cultural sector's financial landscape. The question is: are we adequately tracking this shift, given that it represents a significant and growing contributor to GDP? Or is it being reported under broader sectors like media, entertainment, or tech, thus obscuring its cultural dimension and undervaluing the creative labor involved? Currently, much of the economic impact of digital cultural production—especially from independent creators, influencers, and hybrid platforms—is often subsumed under general categories like ‘media and entertainment' or 'ICT (Information and Communication Technology)’  in national accounting and global industry reports.

This makes it difficult to isolate and assess the specific economic value of culture-driven digital content. As a result, the contributions of artists and cultural practitioners in digital spaces may be underrepresented in official GDP calculations and policy frameworks, despite their substantial role in shaping public discourse, innovation, and creative economies. There is a growing call among researchers and institutions (e.g., UNESCO, WIPO, and some national cultural ministries) to develop more precise metrics and classification systems for the digital creative economy. This is because in many countries, especially those with strong internet penetration and digital infrastructure, income from digital content far exceeds income from traditional theatres—both in terms of scale and growth. Egypt is definitely one.

Yet for many creators, particularly those from marginalized or under-resourced communities, these monetization models are far from equitable. Earning income often depends on achieving an enormous number of views, followers, or engagement metrics—thresholds that can be nearly impossible without algorithmic visibility or marketing budgets. As a result, many cultural practitioners are forced to wait—sometimes indefinitely—for their content to ‘take off’ before seeing any meaningful financial return. These dynamics raise critical questions about sustainability, artistic freedom, and who truly benefits from digital cultural production in this new era.

Sustainability was one of the main drivers behind the creation of Basita.live in 2020 specifically when Covid-19 formed a huge threat on the industry. With the slogan 'One Global Cultural Sector', my vision was to build a hybrid platform that transcends borders and promotes inclusive, equitable access to cultural content. I wanted to offer artists and audiences—especially those from underrepresented regions—an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and be visible beyond the constraints of physical infrastructure or algorithmic favor. Importantly, the platform also aims to enable audiences from vulnerable communities to access and engage with cultural content that would otherwise remain out of reach with minimal data packages.

Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have become powerful cultural arenas, not just for entertainment, but for storytelling, activism, education, and community building; all of which are elements of self-expression. The everyday use of digital platforms has created what I refer to as ‘alternative spaces’ where marginalized voices can be amplified, identities can be explored beyond mainstream narratives, vunerable communities can participate, and cultural content can emerge organically from lived experience and not only by institutional curation. This combination reflects a shift in cultural engagement from static appreciation to dynamic participation and engagment.

From Cultural Elite to Everyday Creators

The traditional image of the ‘cultural intellectual’ or al-muthaqqaf—often tied to academia, elite salons, or curated institutions—is being challenged by the rise of creators who operate entirely within digital environments. These individuals, while not always formally trained, and in many cases come from underdeveloped backgrounds, possess immense influence and are redefining cultural voices. They curate visual identities, produce commentary, and foster engagement among communities who may otherwise be marginalized in mainstream media. We can name many examples who emerged on TikTok, for example: storytellers who reclaim oral traditions in new formats, educators who simplify complex histories or social issues through short videos, and artists who merge local dialects, memes, and music to express contemporary realities. These creators are not only reshaping the content we consume but also challenging long-standing hierarchies of knowledge and taste, particularly by shaping what future audiences will value and consider culturally significant.

During my research, I examined how the rise of digital platforms is shifting the traditional role of the intellectual. Historically, intellectuals were often seen as gatekeepers of knowledge—positioned above the general public, disseminating ideas in a top-down manner through academia, lectures, or publications. However, in the digital age, this role is being redefined. The new intellectual—or digital facilitator—is no longer an isolated expert speaking to passive audiences. Instead, they are embedded within the communities they engage with. They listen actively, respond in real time, and use digital tools not to dominate the conversation, but to enrich it, and sometimes even develop it. Their role involves remixing existing narratives, amplifying unheard voices, and redistributing cultural content across networks in accessible and engaging ways. This reminds me of the ancient Library of Alexandria and its principle of 'writings for further writing'—a living knowledge system in which philosophers would inscribe their thoughts on papyrus scrolls and leave them on the shelves for others to read, respond to, and build upon. It was an infinite cycle of reflection, dialogue, and creation—much like the continuous and collaborative production of content in today’s digital culture.

This shift transforms the act of knowledge-sharing into a participatory, horizontal process rather than a hierarchical one. It reflects a broader cultural movement toward collaboration, co-creation, and inclusion—where authority is no longer defined solely by credentials, but by relevance, responsiveness, and connection, which is a two-edged sword: while it opens space for more diverse voices and democratizes influence, it also blurs the lines between expertise and opinion, making it harder to distinguish credible knowledge from misinformation or populism, or even propaganda. This is where I see the emergence of what I call the new human mediator: a person (or sometimes a collective) who leverages hybrid platforms to bridge divides between grassroots communities and institutional spaces, between tradition and innovation, between lived experience and public discourse. These mediators are essential in today’s cultural ecosystems as trusted voices or maybe digital spaces.

Digital Media and Cultural Responsibility

However, with increased access and visibility comes the question of responsibility. Who gets to speak? Who is seen? Who controls the narrative? What content gets viral? What is the impact?

Social platforms, while offering spaces for innovation and self-expression, can also reproduce systemic inequalities, favor viral trends over critical or thoughtful discourse, and contribute to information overload. Recent academic research has highlighted these dynamics—for instance, Chizorom Okoronkwo (2024) examines how algorithmic bias in media content distribution reinforces social injustices; Gregory Gondwe et al. (2025) analyze how misinformation disproportionately affects marginalized demographic groups due to digital literacy gaps; and Gianna Williams (2023) explores how Black content creators on TikTok resist systemic erasure by developing creative counter-strategies. Similarly, David Chavalarias et al. (2023) show how recommender systems can amplify polarizing or toxic content to maximize engagement, exacerbating societal division.

As cultural practitioners, we must navigate these complexities consciously, with a critical awareness of how digital infrastructures shape cultural visibility and participation. This also calls for curating with care—intentionally amplifying diverse voices, supporting meaningful dialogue, and resisting the pull of algorithm-driven virality in favor of depth, context, and inclusion.

Rethinking Engagement: From Audience to Co-Creators

One of the major shifts enabled by digital media is the redefinition of audience roles. People are no longer passive recipients of culture; they are co-creators, influencers, remixers. Comment sections, live chats, reaction videos, and algorithmic feedback loops all contribute to how cultural meaning is shaped today. In many live events, the live chat transforms into a space of emotional solidarity and storytelling, with viewers sharing memories, recipes, and songs from home. This spontaneous participation adds layers of meaning and human connection to the experience. This is a powerful reminder that digital media doesn’t disconnect us from culture; it transforms how we relate to it and to each other.

Looking Ahead: Toward a Hybrid Future

The cultural landscape across the region is undergoing a generational shift. Young people are finding their voice through memes, vlogs, TikTok dances, and podcasting. This doesn’t dilute culture — it diversifies it. Yet, to harness this transformation meaningfully, we must invest in digital infrastructure, training, access, and ethical guidelines that protect expression without compromising dignity. Basita.live is a small step in that direction, but the work must be collective. Institutions must evolve. Practitioners must collaborate. And digital mediators must be empowered as essential architects of the new cultural commons.

Final Reflection

My journey through academia and digital innovation has shown me that the future of culture lies in its hybridity — not only between the online and offline, but between disciplines, sectors, generations, geographies and borders. It lies in mixing binaries of high and low culture, center and periphery, expert and amateur. The impact of digital media and social platforms on culture is not just technological; it is deeply human. It challenges us to reimagine self-expression, presence, participation, and purpose.

And in that reimagining, we find hope for a more inclusive, impactful and autentic cultural future, empowering generations to be more resilient.