Abstract:

The next millennium will dawn with the Saudi young people at the helm of affairs of this large and powerful Islamic nation. Today the young people comprise 62% of the Saudi population which is growing rapidly at 3% per annum. With the onset of Satellite television and now (marginally) the Internet the media scene in Saudi Arabia has changed in the past ten years. In the strictly controlled atmosphere of the Kingdom Satellite television an electronic media where the state has less control has become immensely popular. This popularity of satellite TV as well as the increasing use of new media such as the Internet reveals that Saudi young people are hungry for information and entertainment from around the world. These electronic media including radio constitute their window to the world. This paper examines the roles of different media vehicles in shaping the Saudi Generation of tomorrow. It presents excerpts from the Youth world Study in Saudi Arabia and identifies media usage habits and attitudes beliefs and lifestyles of different segments of the Saudi young people.