Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president and ruler of Dubai, launched a prize award scheme recently to reward those who harness the huge positive potential of social media for the good of the Arab world, arabiangazette.com reported.
Sheikh Mohammed himself is a very active on social media, with over 2.89 million followers on Twitter and has got 1.8 million “likes” on his Facebook Page.
Dubai government has also been harnessing the power of social media in the past including innovative projects such as crowd-sourcing ideas for the betterment in education and health care sectors.
The “Arab Social Media Award” includes 20 categories covering all kinds of social media activities and initiatives by individuals and organizations, as well as the title of “Social Media Personality of the Year” for the region’s most influential online figure.
Speaking at the launch, Sheikh Mohammed noted that social media was now fundamental to the social, economic and political fabric of the Arab world and played a key role in shaping events.
“Social media influencers are important change-makers in society. Those who bring wisdom, creativity and positivity are a powerful force for good, because social media are powerful tools for development and progress,” he said.
“The Arab world has not yet made the most of the enormously positive potential of social media. This prize will highlight successful examples and use them as a basis to maximize the benefits for society,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
UAE launches Arab social media award
