Hybrid platforms,linear stories: The double bind of journalism’s digital transformation in the UAE

Abstract

This study investigates the digital transformation of news production in the UAE, focusing on how newspapers utilize digital tools for multimedia storytelling, content optimization, and platformization. Using Chadwick’s Hybrid Media System framework, it explores the interplay between traditional and digital media logics in the UAE’s evolving news ecosystem. Through a mixed-method approach—content analysis of 525 online articles and 4,517 social media posts, along with interviews of 15 journalists—the study finds that UAE newspapers have adopted some digital tools but remain largely tied to print-based practices. Multimedia formats and innovative storytelling are limited, hindered by institutional barriers like inadequate training and traditional norms prioritizing content dissemination over engagement. The UAE media landscape exhibits a “diluted” hybridity, where digital and print practices coexist without deep integration. While progress is evident, greater commitment to digital innovation is needed for a full transformation in UAE journalism.

Keywords

digital transformation journalism multimedia storytelling media logics hybrid systems UAE

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