Social Media is 'New Majlis': Mona Al Marri

Social Media has emerged as the ‘New Majlis’ of the UAE, according to Mona Al Marri, Director General of the Dubai Government Media Office (DGMO).

“In its early years, there were very few means of communication in the UAE. The ‘majlis’, which is one of the key emblems of Emirati culture, was the main gathering point where general public and the country’s leaders came to discuss important topics related to their daily lives,” she explained while presenting the keynote address at the inaugural edition of the Social Media Summit at Armani Hotel in Dubai.

“Though the majlis still stands today in its traditional form, the advent of technology has given birth to a new majlis - a platform we call Social Media,” Al Marri pointed out.

The Director General of the Dubai Government Media Office outlined the rapid development of the UAE and its people.

“I would like to share with you a brief story about my country - the UAE. Throughout the past 42 years, the people in our country have undergone massive changes: starting with a journey to seek simple needs such as food, education, health and peace and ending with impressive cultural diversity, transforming from a very basic society to a remarkably sophisticated community adopting the most advanced technologies which we all live with today,” she pointed out.  

“With full support from our leadership, the UAE has arrived to a narrative that is its own,” she said while referring to the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government’s Arab Social Media Outlook 2014 report, which ranked the UAE as first in the Middle East in Facebook penetration with users exceeding 54 per cent of the population. “More than 900,000 users were added in 2013 alone.” 

Vision of Dubai

Al Marri said the Social Media Summit is in full agreement with the vision of the Government of Dubai, which is to leverage advanced technologies to the benefit of all societies across the Arab world.

“As never before, the world is moving faster and coming closer. People in every corner of the globe feel an increasing need to be more informed and to remain connected with each other. Rapid advancement in information technology and the birth of some powerful social media has made this modern marvel possible. Even a decade ago, how many of us could have recognized the world-changing power inherent in social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube?” Al Marri said.

“His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was, in fact, among the first world leaders to recognise social media’s vast potential to influence positive change. He believes (and I quote him): “Social media influencers are important change-makers in society. Those who bring wisdom, creativity and positivity are a powerful force for good, because social media are powerful tools for development and progress.” (End quote).

The DGMO Director General pointed out that this strong belief expressed by Sheikh Mohammed is rooted in Dubai’s history. “For hundreds of years, Dubai has played the part of being an important hub for people from the East and the West, a vital connecting point for cultures. It is no surprise that Dubai’s forward-looking leadership and government were the first to embrace social media and the latest digital initiatives for the good of its residents.”

World leader in social media

Al Marri pointed out that Sheikh Mohammed himself was an early adopter of social media and is well-known for frequent innovations online. “He joined Twitter in June 2009 to become one of the first global leaders to endorse social media as a primary channel to communicate with the public in the UAE and beyond. He was the first world leader to announce a cabinet change on Twitter. Today, he numbers among the Top 10 World Leaders on Social Media.”

“Earlier this year, Sheikh Mohammed introduced the concept of Twitter brainstorming sessions to include the public in decisions related to the future of the nation,” she said.

Al Marri stated it is clear that we all need to keep up with the pace of advancement of technology.

“When I take pictures with my three-year-old daughter and she asks me if we can post it on Instagram, or when my five-year old girl suggests that I download a certain app, I realise that the coming generation is not the same as it used to be. There’s no room for lagging behind, we all need to keep up,” she added.

Changing face of news
 
Samir Rifai, former Prime Minister of Jordan, who was also one of the opening speakers at the social media summit, spoke of the changing face of news in today’s times, especially from a government perspective.
 
He said: “Social media today plays a significant role in exchanging key messages by the government with a level of transparency that could perhaps be diluted in traditional media. Politicians can now directly reach their constituents.”
 
Rifai added that there was a significant cultural shift in recent times that highlighted multi-dimensional identities in Arab youth on a political, economic and social wavelength.
 
“Today, the news is not your 8pm bulletin or a state run television channel; in fact, a recent study in Jordan indicated that 30 per cent of respondents considered social media as its main news source.”
 
Osman Sultan, CEO of du telecom, reiterated the message, saying: “Content is changing today and there are new models of content integration taking centre stage.
 
“In fact, more than 50 hours of content is uploaded in a single minute on social media every day.”
 
He added: “We used to go to cafes; now we have social media.”
 
The first Social Media Summit has been organised by the organic Middle East platform, AreebaAreeba, a one-day only interactive session that discussed a variety of related subjects including marketing your brand on Twitter and Facebook, the social media age and the cultural and economic impact of this growth trend.

 

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