Khaleej Times

VP lauds social media benefits

- Sherouk Zakaria

DUBAI — His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has issued directives to launch an Arab Social Media Influencer­s Club. The club seeks to enhance the role and contributi­ons of social media influencer­s in the progress of the Arab society.

Shaikh Mohammed stressed the importance of keeping up with global scientific and knowledge developmen­t to enable Arabs to regain their civilisati­onal glory.

He warned against the trap of wasting time. “There is no doubt that social media has impacted people’s lives, and provided an opportunit­y for talented people in their domains to influence their environmen­t and followers. It is very important to know that the ability to make a positive impact on society is a gift that needs to be used to help develop communitie­s and support their aspiration­s.” —

DUBAI — His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, honoured 40 entities and individual­s of Arab Social Media Influencer­s Summit (ASMIS) Award on Tuesday.

Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Chairman of Dubai Media Incorporat­ed; and Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid

Social media influencer­s are followed by millions of people, so they have to shoulder the responsibi­lity in reinforcin­g opportunit­ies of progress and prosperity in the region.” Shaikh Mohammed

Al Maktoum attended the award ceremony that took place during the summit’s first day at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The award recognises innovation­s by individual­s and institutio­ns who have made a positive impact on the developmen­t and prosperity of their communitie­s, while contributi­ng to the progress and developmen­t of the people.

Focusing on the three main areas of connectivi­ty, creativity and impact, the winners were announced in 20 different categories for individual­s and institutio­ns.

Lt.-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Interior, was awarded in the individual­s and institutio­n category for the government sector, while Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs was awarded for the politics category.

The general public also voted for Mustafa Agha, Head of MBC Sports as their favourite Arab social media influencer in the newly introduced “Audience choice” category.

In its second edition, the summit attracted more than 2,500 social medial influencer­s and prominent social media figures.

About 54 speakers shared their experience­s and highlighte­d success stories of positive use of social media over the two-days of the second edition of the summit.

sherouk@khaleejtim­es.com

 ??  ?? Deem Al Bassam and Amal Al Marri receiving the award in the shopping category.
Deem Al Bassam and Amal Al Marri receiving the award in the shopping category.
 ?? —Photos by Neeraj MuralI ?? Dr Anwar Gargash receiving the award in the Politics Category during the summit.
—Photos by Neeraj MuralI Dr Anwar Gargash receiving the award in the Politics Category during the summit.
 ??  ?? Mustafa Al Agha, head of MBC Sports, receiving the award from Shaikh Mohammed in the Audience Choice category.
Mustafa Al Agha, head of MBC Sports, receiving the award from Shaikh Mohammed in the Audience Choice category.
 ?? —Wam ?? Shaikh Mohammed presenting the influencer­s award for the government sector to Lt-Gen Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
—Wam Shaikh Mohammed presenting the influencer­s award for the government sector to Lt-Gen Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

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