Developments and Changes in the Production of Government Digital Content: the Case of Public and Institutional Communication in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This thesis examines the evolution and changes in the production of government digital content, with particular reference to the case of public and institutional communications in Saudi Arabia, using methods for the collection of data. One of the most famous universities supported by the Saudi government is Islamic University, which has approximately 85% of its students from abroad. Methods of analysis of digital content have been applied to this university. The results of a series of interviews with managers from six of communication departments of Saudi governmental and semi-governmental institutions were obtained, and finally, a questionnaire was created and 111 respondents participated. The main focus of this study is the production of digital content within the communications departments of governmental institutions in Saudi Arabia in the context of the emergence of social media platforms. Governments are challenged to design digital content that adapts to citizen needs as a result of those platforms. Approximately seventy percent of Saudi Arabians are under the age of thirty, and because of this, the government needs to develop communication and media departments in order to provide content that is compatible with users away from official and bureaucratic content.