‘YOU NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOU SAY’
Actor-TV host Zizan Razak, who recently received the Social Media Icon Award, touches on the need to be respectful and courteous on social media at all times. TAHIR ALHAMZAH has the story
“MY parents have always instilled into my siblings and I the importance of having good manners, especially when in public places.
“And I make sure that I do so on social media too,” said multi-talented artiste Zizan Razak to the New Straits Times yesterday.
The 33-year-old recently received the Social Media Icon Award at the Social Media Excellence Awards event held in Kuala Lumpur.
“When you’re someone who is easily recognisable, like a celebrity for instance, there is a need to be extra mindful of what you do or say,” he added.
With 4.4 million followers on his Instagram account alone, the Terengganu-born said: “Whether one has been given the title of an icon or not, he should always use any available platform appropriately.”
He said there was a need for those with a huge number of followers to set a good example to their fans, especially among the younger generation.
The Abang Long Fadil 2 star admitted that there were times where his jokes had been misinterpreted by some.
“But when you realise that you’ve crossed the line, the right thing to do is apologise.
“After all, we cannot run away from making mistakes throughout our lives.”
Meanwhile, Zizan said he was thrilled to receive the award from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“Initially, I didn’t know that it would be presented by the prime minister. When I saw him on stage, I got excited. It felt surreal,” said Zizan, who was also pleasantly surprised when Najib later uploaded their photo together, on the latter’s Instagram account.
The awards event was organised by Social Media Chambers, a non-profit organisation dedicated to advocating and advancing the discipline of credible social media.