(Photo: SPA)

The President of the Arab States Broadcasting Union, ASBU, has said an imbalance in the control of digital media is posing a serious threat to cultural identities and value systems around the world.

Mohammed bin Fahad Al-Harthi, who is also CEO of the Saudi Broadcasting Authority, was speaking at an ASBU conference in Tunis on global digital hegemony and how to counter it.

Digital hegemony is generally defined as a situation where digital media producers in a few countries can define what is read by people in other countries.

Mr Al-Harthi (pictured) said the influence of digital hegemony was increasing, causing ideological divisions. He stressed the need for a unified effort to draft laws to curb the practice, Arab News reports.

He said the world had become a media map rather than a geographical or historical one, with media outlets becoming the major players in shaping and influencing international affairs and human behavior.

ASBU Director General Abdelrahim Suleiman said the union, through the conference, was seeking to discuss practical solutions to the major challenges facing the Arab media landscape.