DUBAI // Stars from the worlds of film and television have told an online forum that social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter have become indispensable to their careers. Ali Mostafa, the director of City of Life, Aida al Busaidy, the first Emirati woman to host an English-language television programme and Jalal BinThaneya, a fundraiser who recently completed a charity trek across the Empty Quarter, all said they relied heavily on social media.
They were speaking at the first UAE Social Media Day, organised by Emiratweet, an online forum aiming at uniting UAE nationals. Miss al Busaidy, 27, who co-hosted the chat show HerSay on Dubai One and wrote a controversial column called Unveiled and Uncut in the now-defunct Emirates Today newspaper, said social media helped her manage her career. "I have different online personalities," she said. "I have a personal Facebook page and a fan page, and Twitter is where I reach out to a wider audience. It makes it much easier to get a message across."
Mr Mostafa, whose film has made headlines since it hit the screen seven weeks ago, said that before City of Life, he did not even know how to use such sites. "I wasn't a fan of social media before the film," he said. "But it's amazing how much it has helped. It brought me a wider audience and put me in direct contact with the fans. When you are making a film with no budget, this kind of connection is phenomenal."
The group addressed an audience in Knowledge Village on Saturday night, hosted by Heba al Samt, the founder of Emiratweet. According to her research, 41 per cent of Twitter users in the MENA region come from the UAE, and 36 per cent of the UAE population were registered on Facebook. These figures could not be ignored by businesses, she said, adding that social media had changed the face of Emirati society. "In 2005, blogging was big. If someone wrote about men becoming metrosexual and wearing lots of bling, it was considered taboo. Whereas now it's completely normal.
"Everyone talks about that, and things much more controversial like dating. There is no censorship, because everyone can have alias names or online identities." The speakers conceded that there were possible dangers. "It has been responsible for many rumours," said Miss al Busaidy. "And once they start, they spread like a forest fire." Mr BinThenaya warned that, misused, such sites could lead to a decline in face-to-face social interaction. "There are people who know how to use social media positively, as a tool to expand their networks and promote their message.
"But if you misuse it then instead of talking to your friends, you are constantly looking at your BlackBerry. This is a downside," he said. Miss al Samt added:"We don't want to lose face-to-face interaction. That's why we bring people together." aseaman@thenational.ae