Sunday, December 18, 2022 – 8:17 PM
the video
Pictures
SHARJAH, 18th December / WAM / A group of experts and specialists among the leaders of change and officials affirmed that the media greatly affects collective awareness due to the ability of digital and satellite platforms to spread and reach the largest possible number of the public and form their opinions and perceptions on various political, social and knowledge issues, noting that This is due not only because it is a source of information and news, but also because it is a means of controlling public opinion.
This came in a number of sessions that were included in the program of the second day of the “Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival”. Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams), in addition to the Syrian entrepreneur in the field of technology and media, Abdul Salam Haikal.
Sheikh Sultan Saud Al Qasimi emphasized that the media actively contributes to the formation of the cultural identity of any individual in a manner similar to the role played by the family and the circle of acquaintances and friends, saying: “We are permanent consumers of social networking sites with its various applications, and the evidence for this is the number of hours we spend using our phones, which ranges from The least is between 4 to 7 hours per day, pointing to the availability of unlimited alternatives for users today who face deficiencies in the Arab media by turning to Western media to bring information and meet their interests and passions.
Al-Qasimi stressed the importance of the Arab media focusing on content that respects the mind of the reader, saying: “We are all responsible, and everyone here bears the burden of the weakness of the Arabic content, but I am optimistic regarding what I see of youth initiatives in which volunteers increase Arabic content on a site such as Wikipedia, so we must not always bear all the responsibilities.” Governments should take the initiative to correct the wrong information they find on the Internet,” stressing that the new generation is primarily responsible for carrying out this task because it is related to their fate and future.
Dr. Khaled Al-Midfa agreed with this opinion, saying that the media covers multiple areas that go beyond news and social issues, because the sources that provide us with information are the ones that shape our culture. False or erroneous news, and we at (Shams) are working on implementing many projects that will create a positive addition by establishing platforms appropriate to the culture and aspirations of our society.
Al Midfa added: “Our main mission is to attract young content makers and emerging business owners to enter the creative industries sector by creating specialized partnerships and quality initiatives that enable them to work in a sustainable manner. He stressed the importance of any media initiative setting an investment goal that makes it an attractive project for companies, as ignoring the return The economic and profit factor is what weakens any government initiative.
For his part, Abdulsalam Haikal said that there is nothing that affects the culture of society more than the media, stressing that culture is not limited to artistic and literary works, but rather to all the elements that affect the society’s way of thinking and lifestyle, calling on everyone to always think of media as an industry and a field of social responsibility .
Heikal said: “We suffer from a large gap in the Arabic content on the Internet. Despite the fact that Arabic speakers exceed 400 million people, there are many other languages that exceed it in the amount of content, such as Greek or Polish, which are spoken by only 28 million people.” He calls for more Investing in this field and not relying on acquiring knowledge in foreign languages, which reduces the circle of beneficiaries of human knowledge freely available on the Internet.
The “Influence Platform” program at the festival included a lecture entitled “Create Your Success”, in which the Lebanese journalist Wissam Braidy presented his professional career, starting from his studies, passing through his work as a presenter of programs, ending with his participation in the establishment of the “Disruptive Knowledge” company, where he stressed the need for entrepreneurs to continue learning continuously and keeping up with everything new. In their fields regardless of their professional and academic experience, describing it as the permanent way to develop, prosper and be able to compete in a constantly volatile and challenging market.
In a session titled “Achieving Sustainable Success in a Changing World,” April Rennie, author of “The Power of Change: 8 Superpowers for Sustainable Prosperity,” said: “The key to thriving in a world of constant change is developing a flow mindset. Change is an inevitable part of life and we cannot Ignore it no matter how hard we try, and even if change leads to instability and disrupts our sense of belonging, we must not forget that it also provides opportunities for learning, growth and development.
Reda Abdel Nour / Batoul Kashwani
