SHARJAH, 21st November, 2024 (WAM) -- Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, Founder of Al Qasimia University (AQU), the Al Qasimia university international conference on content creation kicked off yesterday.
Themed “Content Creation between Institutional Media and Social Media - Challenges of Integration and Competition”, the two-day conference is organised by the University in collaboration with the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Jamal Salem Al Tarifi, President of AQU; Dr. Awad Al Khalaf, Director of AQU; Dr. Sami Al-Sharif, Secretary of the Association of Islamic Universities and former Egyptian Minister of Information; and Jamal Nasser Al Suwaider, Executive Director of the News Content Sector at WAM attended the inaugural session. The event also welcomed a number of media experts and prominent figures, featuring participation from over 45 researchers representing 12 countries.
Dr. Awad Al Khalaf said that the conference comes within the framework of the university's commitment to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi to enhance academic communication and build bridges of cooperation with academic and media institutions. “This aims to discuss the challenges associated with creating meaningful content on social media platforms and to affirm the complementary relationship with official media institutions.”
He noted that the conference is held in collaboration with WAM, which is an advanced model adapting its structure and strategy to keep up with these developments and leverage them to enhance its content while continuing its media mission at the national level.
For his part, Dr. Sami Al-Sharif, guest speaker at the conference, stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between media and educational institutions. He noted the role of media in shaping societal awareness and promoting human values.
He praised the role of Sharjah in preserving the Arab and Islamic identity according to a moderate approach that preserves the values and traditions of the Arab family.
In a speech delivered on his behalf by Dr. Jamal Mohammed Obaid Al Kaabi, Director-General of the National Media Office, and Acting Director General of WAM, Jamal Nasser Al Suwaider stressed the importance of the media's role in keeping pace with digital developments.
He praised the cooperation between the Emirates News Agency and Al Qasimia University in many joint events and programmes that serve to promote and support the national media sector and thus support the UAE's march in all its sectors.
Ali Obaid Al Hameli, Emirati writer and media personality and guest of honour of the conference, delivered a speech in which he stressed the importance of the content provided by new content creators and the need to rationalise and evaluate it in accordance with legal and ethical laws and charters.
Jamal Salem Al Tarifi, accompanied by Dr. Awad Al Khalaf and Dr. Hisham Mohamed Abbas Zakaria, Dean of the College of Communication at the University, honoured the conference guests and speakers, followed by a dialogue and scientific session that discussed several scientific papers, in addition to organising workshops on artificial intelligence applications and the newsmaking journey at the Emirates News Agency, as well as an exhibition organised by the Emirates Photographic Society (EPS).