The Global Turn in Moroccan Culture: Case Studie Dad is Connected

Abstract

This article explores digital transformation and generational change in Moroccan cinema through a close analysis of the Moroccan film Baba Tconecta (Dad is Connected), a contemporary film that mirrors Morocco’s evolving relationship with technology, globalization, and identity. Framed within globalization theories by Appadurai, Giddens, and Robertson, and digital culture perspectives from Castells and Jenkins, the study examines how Moroccan cinema negotiates the digital turn while maintaining cultural specificity. In addition, using Stuart Hall’s theory of representation and Jean Baudrillard’s concept of simulation, the paper investigates how digital spaces and mediated images reconfigure notions of authenticity, family, and belonging. The film becomes a microcosm of social transition: the father embodies traditional values challenged by technological acceleration, while younger characters reflect a cosmopolitan digital generation navigating transnational influences. Homi Bahbah’s and Edward Said’s further illuminate how Dad is Connected articulates hybridity and the negotiation of Moroccan identity in a globalized media landscape. The analysis situates the film within boarder transformation in Moroccan television, online streaming, and digital storytelling, illustrating how these shifts reveal both empowerment and anxiety in contemporary culture.by humanizing the digital experience, Dad is Connected transcends local boundaries, portraying technology as both a bridge and a barrier between generations, values, and visions of modernity.