(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) In a world plagued with humanitarian crises and hate speech, people must invest their time on digital platforms and use social media channels to answer calls for help, Arab royalties urged the public.
Addressing a crowd of dignitaries and personalities at the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit (ASMIS) that kicked off on Monday, Queen Rania Al Abdullah, wife of King Abdullah II of Jordan, said at a time when the average human is expected to spend five years of their life on social media, the online platforms must be a tool of investment rather than consumption.
"Time is gold, but today, time is more precious than ever before. When figures show that mobile payment reached $100 billion annually, it means there's unprecedented competition for our attention and minds. Don't let others steal your time, invest it wisely," said Queen Rania in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai among other dignitaries.
While social media platforms are tools that depict humanity crises in trending images, Queen Rania urged users to take active action in answering calls for help. She referred to the UAE and Jordan's continuous use of social media campaigns to provide immediate aid to those in need, especially during the Syrian refugee crisis.
"Pictures are worth a thousand words, and sometimes they remind us of how humanity can shame people, but looking away means we didn't answer calls. Likes and shares are not equivalent to taking action," said Queen Rania.
"Pictures carry messages, do not ignore the screams depicted. When humanity looks at you with eyes of hope, invest your time for it."
She also urged the public to be influencers, even if it meant going against the flow, while maintaining kindness and an open dialogue that beat hate speech and racist remarks. "We prefer to influence one life rather than get millions of likes on a post. Numbers are evidence of outreach, not influence," she said.
Real influencers, Queen Rania noted, must invest time in breaking barriers and opening dialogue for people in dire need to enable society to reach the truth and be kind to one another. With fake news making up 70 per cent of content circulated on Twitter, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Study, Queen Rania said public must spend time and take responsibility in seeking the truth. "Reaching the truth was never easier than today, yet the truth is second to rumours and false emotional discourse because sometimes it isn't attractive enough to share."
She urged: "Behind every post and like is a responsibility. Truth is the duty we should take on and spread." Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Bahrain King's Representative for Charity Work and Youth Affairs, said the youth must be humble and bring to people experiences that will influence their followers in a positive manner.
"Try to change one person's world, that should be your aim."
He said today's Arab societies are developed, with the youth empowered by their leaders to achieve their dreams. Therefore, youth must use social media to carry this development forward and encourage one another to be positive. "Our Arab world took us to space. We are advanced in military science. Today, there's an Arab coalition supported by Europe. We aren't regressed nations," he said.
Noticing the power of social media, Dubai Press Club organises the summit that brings together prominent influencers from across the Arab region and the world. The summit's third edition saw Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, honouring 31 individuals and institutions for their positive impact on the development and prosperity of their communities, while contributing to people's progress and development.
Sherouk Zakaria "Born and raised in UAE, Sherouk Zakaria is a Senior Correspondent at Khaleej Times. Joined since May 2016, she covers Dubai Municipality, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), special events and humanitarian issues. Her choice of journalism as a career stems from her passion of telling people's stories and writing to inspire or make a difference. In her free time, she's an occasional theater and film actress. Sherouk received her BA in Mass Communications from the American University in Sharjah in 2013. Before joining Khaleej Times, she was a senior lifestyle/entertainment editor for a magazine in Dubai."
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