The Tunisian Intellectual in the Digital Age : Between a Legacy of Commitment and the Challenges of Visibility
Keywords:
Commited intellectual, Digital Tunisia, Social media, Academic legitimacy, Online influence, Civic engagement, Crisis of trustAbstract
The engagement of Tunisian intellectuals has evolved from the colonial era to the digital age, shifting from political and identity resistance, Albert Memmi, Hélé Béji, to a fragmented presence on social media. This article examines the redefinition of the Tunisian intellectual today, caught between a literary heritage and new forms of digital engagement. Drawing on interviews with academics and content creators, as well as an analysis of media discourse, we explore the tensions between academic legitimacy and online influence. The findings reveal a dichotomy: on one hand, traditional intellectuals such as Mohamed Talbi, Hichem Jeaïet, Olfa Youssef, Youssef Seddik, and others uphold expert discourse, while on the other, "influencers," including political bloggers, capture public attention. We argue that this fragmentation reflects a crisis of trust in institutions, even as it opens unprecedented spaces for civic engagement.
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