Dubai: In recognition of the valuable contribution of social media platforms and their impact on efforts to revolutionise the media industry, ‘Think Dubai … Think Social Media’ night will be hosted on the sidelines of the 14th edition of the Arab Media Forum (AMF).
The special event which will take place on May 12 as part of the AMF, is a new concept that complements the ‘Think Dubai’ initiative launched earlier by the Government of Dubai Media Office. ‘Think Dubai’ aims to underscore current and future regional issues through taking a look at global trends and phenomena to highlight key benefits and counter challenges.
Commenting on the occasion, Mona Ganem Al Merri, Chairperson of the Organising Committee of AMF and President of Dubai Press Club, said: “The event offers a unique opportunity to meet iconic social media influencers whose contributions have touched the lives of so many in the Arab world. With the growing importance of social media, millions are nowadays following social media influencers, accelerating the influence of these platforms as the main conduit for the society, especially for the young generation.”
Mona further affirmed that the event is part of a strategy that aims at augmenting cooperation between social media influencers so as to explore the integration of social media platforms with traditional media tools, given the former’s crucial role in allowing for instant and widespread information dispersal.
Mona also revealed that during this gathering a new initiative will be launched, in collaboration with Arab Media Influencers Summit, the first of its kind in the region for influencers on social media channels. The initiative is to support further efforts aimed at strengthening the presence of Arab influencers on these platforms.
It is noteworthy that there are more than 135 million individuals using the internet in the Arab countries, and more than 71 million are active users on social media, according to the Arab Social Media Outlook 2014, report released at the Arab Media Forum in collaboration with Mohammad Bin Rashid School of Government.
