Day- of IGCF 04 Underlines Relationship between Government Communication and Social Media

Experts during the second session of the International Government Communication Forum 2014 (IGCF 2014) examined whether governments are effectively leveraging social media for communicating with their audiences and how social media and public response have contributed to achieving administrative changes.

The session also discussed whether social media can serve as an effective bridge in establishing communication between government agencies and the public.

Titled The relationship between government communication and social media activists', the session gathered Jon Duschinsky, Founder and CEO, The Conversation Farm; Dr. Sulaiman Al Hattlan, Founder and CEO of Hattlan Media, and Fadi Salem, Director of the Governance and Innovation Programme, Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government.

Zeina Yazigi, popular TV host at Sky News Arabia, moderated the session, while Parween Habib from Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), represented the public as part of The Green Seat' initiative.

Duschinsky said: The power of conversation and dialogue is of extreme importance and must be used to advantage. Often, we look at social media as an end in itself. On the contrary, social media are one of the many platforms through which people can engage in conversation. It is a gateway to benefit from the knowledge that is shared. As a communication tool that is not limited by geographies or language, it eliminates borders and brings people together.

He added: The UAE government has successfully embraced social media to reach out to people and address issues of relevance. What gains traction on social media is what people are interested in and what matters to their lives. Social media give a new perspective to an issue or a problem for people to interpret it in their own way. Social media empower people to take an informed decision rather than telling them what to do.

Analysing whether social media and public reaction have contributed to achieving administrative changes in the region in recent months, Dr. Sulaiman Al Hattlan said: Investing in social media is no longer an option. Arab governments have no other choice but to embrace social media. The main starting point for Arab governments is to target the issues that people are concerned with and address those accordingly. The UAE has wisely invested in social media through delivering appropriate messages to its people, which has in turn positively impacted the government's services to the average UAE resident.

Fadi Salem said: Until a few years ago, the sharing of information in the Arab world was highly restricted with the government controlling the channels of communication. This scenario has changed with the region boasting around 65 million social media users - and the numbers are growing every day. Of these, 70% comprise the youth - the major influencers.

He added: The UAE continues to encourage its citizens to use technology to communicate effectively with the government. This strategy has helped the government connect with its people effectively and creatively. The synergy has also allowed the government to provide better services - an achievement not many other Arab countries have accomplished.

Parween Habib commented: About 50 years ago, people were skeptical in accepting the medium of television. Over time, the platform gained the trust of people as a credible news medium. Social media, on the other hand, have already gained high acceptance with the average citizen. Governments need to optimise this trust to use it as a channel for engaging and connecting with their people.

The first regional government communication event was organised by Sharjah Media Centre (SMC) in 2012. The forum discussed relevant communication challenges that were triggered by the socio-political occurrences in the Arab world. The IGCF 2014 is a first-of-its-kind event that articulates SMC's efforts to develop government communication mechanisms for the benefit of government institutions in the UAE and wider region.

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