IGCF 2021: UAE communications forum to highlight power of youth, social media influencers

Sharjah: Sessions dedicated to the youth and social media influencers will be held on the sidelines of the main International Government Communication Forum (IGCF), which is scheduled for September 26 and 27 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Led by industry experts, the discussions and workshops will cover the realm of government communications and the lessons learned to facilitate communication teams in their daily practices.

Influencers forum

With government communication departments waking up to the impact that influencers can bring about, a session titled ‘Infodemic’ will discuss the public’s perception of social media influencers. It will also address the role of influencers in shaping their country’s image and how government communication departments can cooperate with them to address ‘infodemics’ – the rapid spread of unreliable information.

Award-winning television anchor Nada Al Shaibani, host of ‘Hatha Ana’ on Abu Dhabi TV, will moderate the Infodemic session with Haitham Al Hammadi.

‘The Fifth Generation of Ideas’

IGCF 2021 will host an interaction with UAE’s youth at a session titled ‘The Fifth Generation of Ideas’, under the Arab Youth Forum. The discussion will focus on the role of government communication in achieving a balance between emotional intelligence and social intelligence; the young generation’s perception of societies of the future and their role in strengthening them; and other related topics.

The session will be moderated by Maitha Mohammad, a young Emirati artist and content creator who targets Emirati youth and their parents through her work, and Marwan Al Shehhi, a television host on Sama Dubai and a member of the UAE’s Youth Council.

Fake news in the pandemic

Mohammad Jalal Al Raisi, executive director of Emirates News Agency (WAM), will lead this interactive session, which will tackle the misinformation campaign about the COVID-19 pandemic on social media and its implications for society and international security; and how the media counteracted with agility, leveraging technology to communicate credible news.

Future of journalism

The future of journalism against the backdrop of rapid digital transformation in the media industry will inform this session, where more than 30 editors-in-chief from local and international media outlets will discuss the challenges in store. The experts will also offer solutions on keeping the newspaper relevant in the digital era. The session will be moderated by media personnel Marwan Al Hel.