As more and more people in the GCC access the internet via their computers or their mobile devices, there will be significant demand for Arabic content.
At present, less than 1 per cent of all online content is in Arabic, even though there are more than 344 million Arabic speakers worldwide, and the number of internet users who speak Arabic increased by an astonishing 2,298 per cent from 2000 to 2009.
The need to have more online content in Arabic goes beyond the desire of internet users to check weather reports and play games online in their own language. GCC nations are staking their futures on the development of knowledge economies, and the ability to generate, aggregate and disseminate information will be at the heart of this achievement.
The first question, then, is whether the region has the capacity to create a 21st-century Dar al Hikma - the institute known as the "House of Wisdom", which flourished as the intellectual centre of the Arab world from the ninth to the 13th centuries. By encouraging inquiry into science, mathematics and philosophy, Dar al Hikma was a catalyst for a golden age of learning in the Arab world.
I believe we can create a similar spirit of inquiry and intellectual innovation today, and take advantage of the digital resources at our disposal to further those aims. Young people are demanding this content-rich and knowledge-based renaissance: in a recent survey conducted by Booz & Company among people aged 15 to 24 in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, respondents consistently ranked "technologically advanced nation" and "educated and intellectual society" as the top two descriptors of their nation. Grander statements such as "leader in the Arab world" or "leading Arab country in the world" have no resonance with today's youth. They long for information, knowledge, technology and advancement based in capability. In this arena, digital content in Arabic takes centre stage.
The second question is whether we are ready for the digital transformation of our economies and digital advancement of our societies - and our region is progressing well along this path. In the 2010-2011 Global Information Technology Report published by the World Economic Forum, the UAE ranked number 24 in terms of overall network readiness, Qatar ranked 25, Bahrain ranked 30 and Saudi Arabia ranked 33.
While we still have a long way to go, we are well ahead of more technologically advanced nations. In fact, a closer look at the data reveal that Qatar ranks fourth globally on digital readiness, followed by the UAE ranked sixth, Saudi Arabia ranked 24th and Bahrain ranked 30th. As we build the infrastructure, we must now shift gears and focus on what comes on top of it - content in general and Arabic content specifically.
The final question, then, is what happens next? We are still in the early days of our journey in creating Arabic digital content. So far, there has been a great deal of simple adaptation of traditional content - newspapers, books, music - into digital formats. This is a first step, but truly innovative Arabic digital content fosters new knowledge and offers insights that are not available in any other format.
Unless we fast-track this journey, we will hinder our societies and economies, and traditional businesses will lose relevance.
Newspapers offer a case in point: in another recent study conducted by Booz & Company in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah, we asked readers aged 18 to 35 about their consumption of traditional and digital media. The majority - 56 per cent - have already decreased their consumption of print media or stopped it entirely, and more than three quarters plan to do so if they haven't already. Instead, they are checking out the digital offerings of international television brands such as Al Jazeera, CNN, the BBC and Al Arabiya, as well as other online-only news sites (AMEInfo), digital media portals (Maktoob, MSN Arabia), major aggregators (Google and Facebook), and telecommunications operators (SMS services by Etisalat and STC). Only 23 per cent of respondents visit the digital version of the print newspapers they used to read.
Leaders in both the public and private sectors must step up to the challenge of creating a viable Arabic presence online. Subsidies and grants can fund the digital creation of content that has value for individuals, businesses and governments. New business models - for instance, those that are funded by advertising - can facilitate the creation of an industry around digital content. National or regional competitions can foster innovation and creativity in the production of digital content.
Acknowledging the importance of getting Arabic content online is the first step. Our collective energy must shift from simply building the digital infrastructure to creating the infrastructure and content ecosystem together. In doing so, we can gain the hearts and minds of an entire generation and enable Arabic to claim its right as the language of insights and knowledge in this digital century.
Karim Sabbagh is a senior partner and the global leader of the communications, media and technology practice at Booz & Company