The Department of Media at the College of Arts and Humanities at Al-Mustaqbal University, in collaboration with the Department of English Language and Literature, organised a specialised awareness workshop on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, entitled “The Impact of Excessive Social Media Use on Reading Stories and Novels among Students of the Department of Media”. The workshop aimed to highlight the changes taking place in reading behaviour in the digital age. The workshop sessions were delivered by Assistant Professor Dr Abdul-Kadhim Mohammed Aswaid, a faculty member of the Department of Media, and Lecturer Dr Adnan Musa Khattar, a faculty member of the Department of English Language and Literature. The discussion focused on identifying the structural challenges posed by the digital environment and fast-paced platforms to attentive reading and literary engagement. It also examined the impact of excessive mobile phone use on declining reading habits and analysed its direct effects on university students’ interest in international novels and specialised short stories. The interactive workshop aimed to raise students’ awareness of effective ways to organise and manage their social media usage, encourage them to revive and develop a culture of reading, and strengthen their interest in literary works, given their importance in enriching knowledge, stimulating intellectual imagination, and developing language skills. This activity forms part of the academic and cultural collaboration among the college’s scientific departments, reaffirming the importance of maintaining a balanced relationship between the use of modern technology and the sustainability of reading as a fundamental pillar of human knowledge-building. Al-Mustaqbal University .. The First Private University in Iraq