Abu Dhabi, Nov. 16 (BNA): The Global Media Conference continued its sessions on the second day, with the participation of global leaders, specialists, influencers and experts in the global media industry.
The sessions highlighted a wide range of topics in the media sector. It is part of a media campaign by the Emirates News Agency, which aims to highlight the pivotal role of the media in spreading messages of tolerance and solidarity and limiting messages of violence and hate.
In an interview focused on the metaverse, Alex Gubbay, Head of Digital Strategy at The National, and Adnan Kashwani, Senior Director, Cloud Center of Excellence at Etisalat, highlight how the metaverse can be a beneficial agent for new technologies.
Attendees heard how phone numbers have become part of people’s identity in the MENA region with the increasing importance of 5G technology as we outsource every aspect of our lives to phone companies.
The interview focused on the need for people to establish a virtual presence in the world with an edge for early innovators and innovators.
Kashwani explained the evolution of traditional media into a two-way relationship with social media and the Internet to enhance interaction. Practical considerations are important, with security challenges and potential cyberbullying.
The interview was upbeat, highlighting the benefits of balancing real and virtual life. The speakers gave an example of tourism, where people have the opportunity to visit different countries in the Metaverse region from the comfort of their homes.
As telcos evolve into technology companies, seasoned younger generations are accelerating adaptation.
In his concluding remarks, Kashwani said that yesterday’s fantasy is today’s reality and today’s fantasy is tomorrow’s reality, with the market value of Metaverse expected to rise to trillions of dollars by early 2030.
Participants in the “Inside MENA’s Entertainment Industry” session were Mark Whitehead, CEO of Twofour54 and Youmna Nofal, Director of Brunswick
In an interview focused on the entertainment industry in the MENA region, Whitehead and Nofal explain the momentum for the entertainment industry in a golden age of content.
Despite the challenges and headwinds seen as the pandemic slows down, the region is vibrant in supporting content creators with high-profile stakeholders in Bollywood and Hollywood coming to Abu Dhabi.
Whitehead explained how Abu Dhabi is taking the lead and developing the infrastructure and talent for the entertainment industry to thrive, while also having positive conversations with all sectors in the industry.
Going forward, the attendees heard how the district should continue to create exciting content to keep people entertained.
The future of the workplace for the leisure sector in Abu Dhabi lies in community centers with people coming to work with meeting rooms and ecosystems around creativity.
As the pandemic has changed the way people work in the office, industry stakeholders are providing an environment in which people of all ages can thrive in an exciting time of growth.
Mario Sofia, Business Director – Strategy, Media and Creative at Digitas UAE, attended the study of social media and consumption across the region and how this has changed the media landscape. Percy Fernandez, Chair of the School of Media and Communication at Manipal University, Dubai Campus. Al-Hamidi – President and CEO of Arabsat
In a discussion focused on social media consumption, Al Hamdi and Sofia explained the impact of social media on the lives of citizens and residents across the Middle East.
With 97.6% of people in the region owning a smartphone and spending an average of three and a half hours on social media, attendees heard insights into customer journeys occurring everywhere across the value chain.
Seeing the value in social media is a key factor in developing a community and accessing a large number of opportunities to sell products.
Attendees learned how industry stakeholders help brands create value with 75% of brands using social media to reach new customers.
Participants explained the importance of optimizing content for different platforms and making use of information for the benefit of all.
Within the creator economy, there is pressure from social media brands to improve useful capabilities and insights to ensure a positive shift in the media landscape.
The discussion session, titled “Highlighting the Role of Integrated Media Hubs in the Future of the Media Industry”, witnessed the participation of His Excellency Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams) from the United Arab Emirates. Naguib Koueia, CEO of Media City, is from Mauritius. Rami Jallad, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone Group (RAKEZ), from the United Arab Emirates; Majid Al Suwaidi, Senior Vice President, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City from the UAE; and Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media, Entertainment and Culture at NEOM from Saudi Arabia.
Participants in the session emphasized the active role media cities play in developing the media sector.
Media cities provide an integrated work environment that invests in media talents and content makers to enhance their creative capabilities and provide all requirements for creating integrated media content.
This includes providing fully equipped media studios and media production facilities that include the best equipment and advanced technological technologies, in order to produce media outputs that meet the aspirations of the public, and achieve continuous development in this field.
Participants also discussed the synergies of working between media cities across the UAE. This comes in line with the directives of the leadership regarding enhancing cooperation and joint work between various media institutions to exchange experiences in a way that serves the sector and enhances the country’s position in this field.
The panel discussion entitled “The Role of Media in Creating Tolerant Societies”, in which Robin Banerjee, former editor and author of Outlook magazine, from India participated; Adrian Ruiz, Secretary of the Vatican Department of Communications; Muhammad Al-Ali, CEO and founder of the New Trends Research and Consulting Foundation from the United Arab Emirates, highlighted the importance of promoting a culture of tolerance among societies and working to implement it through various media channels.
The speakers during the session unanimously agreed that a culture of tolerance begins with promoting its values at home.
The family is the main contributor to promoting the values of tolerance in front of educational institutions and the various media.
This confirms the need to add media content and tolerance in academic institutions to motivate the media to adhere to the values of tolerance in their media orientations and messages, especially since the media contributes greatly to rejecting intolerance and hatred that may lead to spreading discord and strife. Undermining security, but until today it has not been employed in an ideal way in this field.
Regarding the role of influencers on social media in spreading tolerance in society, the speakers pointed out the need to benefit from their ability to influence the public.
To achieve this, they must be directed towards creating societies based on tolerance, in which everyone must contribute to the process.
They pointed out that one of the most important challenges facing social networking sites is the lack of clarity in the identity of their users.
This gives some people the opportunity to incite hatred, and to avoid this, the role of the media must be strengthened in spreading messages urging the adoption of healthy behaviors related to acceptance of others and non-discrimination against them.