During the launch of the second edition of the activities organized by the New Media Academy over two days, the One Billion Followers Summit shed light on the pivotal role that the content industry sector plays in the future of knowledge and the advancement of the global economy.
The summit confirmed that the digital content industry sector is growing rapidly and significantly, as it today provides job opportunities for more than 67 million people around the world, noting that the stories used by content makers are considered the best means of communication, inspiration and positive change, and that virtual space is not a goal in itself, but rather A means to achieve higher goals that benefit all of humanity.
Life makers.
His Excellency Saeed Al Eter, Head of the UAE Government Media Office, said: “We see the One Billion Followers Summit as a meeting place for cultures and civilizations in the UAE, which includes the largest number of media figures, producers and production companies, and the largest number of content makers in the world, and it has become a destination for all aspirants and dreamers, thanks to The directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, and his brother His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, who transformed Dubai into a capital for innovators, creativity, and makers of real, useful content. And the changer of societies.”
His Excellency added: “Studies have proven that people spend an average of 6 hours on social media every day, training, learning, changing, and shaping their awareness and ideas, and that there are more than 4.2 billion people active on social media. This confirms the importance of holding a summit for the content industry, whose value is Today it is about 250 billion dollars, and within several years it will reach 500 billion dollars, and this makes the opportunities for content makers very great, and the successes ahead of them many.”
Saeed Al-Attar addressed the participants in the One Billion Followers Summit, saying: “You are not content makers, you are life makers… change makers… community makers. Serious content will produce serious generations, cultural content will produce creative artists, scientific content will produce scholars and thinkers, and good economic content will produce good economic content.” merchants and businessmen, and enhances prosperity and stability in societies; also, bad content can break up families and threaten the stability of societies and nations, so we are here today to learn, and to build new partnerships and relationships to produce useful content, bring about positive change, and change the type of content that we put on social media. Social media, and remember that creating content is a message, and we are here to create a better message and a more beautiful tomorrow.”
New market.
In turn, Alia Al Hammadi, CEO of the New Media Academy, said: “The content industry employs more than 67 million people worldwide, and this number exceeds those working in the energy industry, which is considered a vital sector in our daily lives, and data confirms that there are currently 50 million active content creators.” Around the world, a number close to the population of South Korea, the market value of the content industry sector reached $250 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach half a trillion dollars by 2027, which makes it one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.”
She added: “The content industry does not operate separately from other sectors, but rather is intertwined with them in multiple ways, and one of the most important of these ways is digital commerce, which forms a new market called (the social commerce market). In this market, influencers and content makers play a major role in Influencing consumer behavior and purchasing decisions: This is a trillion-dollar market, and it is poised to grow even more in the future.”
She continued: “We believe that true success lies in creating useful content that serves a purpose, whether it is educational, entertaining, awareness-raising, or otherwise. The impact we make is not limited to numbers only, but extends to the stories we tell, the viewpoints we form, and positive change.” What we inspire, as a simple thing can have a big impact, a short clip can make us laugh, a song can make us cry, a video can amaze us, a podcast can teach us something new, and an educational program can enhance our skills… The possibilities are endless, and every day we create… A new moment that never existed before.”
Story merchants.
In his speech, Ahmed Al-Ghandour, known as “Al-Daheh” and the content makers’ ambassador at the summit, said: “Content makers are story merchants and sellers of knowledge and information, who use the narrative industry to create added value to their content and their audience. They provide us with stories that enrich, entertain, and enlighten us, and turn numbers and statistics into stories.” And adventures, and they succeed in making us see the world with new eyes, and Arabs are able to lead the content industry, because stories and narration are an ancient style in Arab literature since ancient times.”
He added: “An example of this is the Maradona shirt that he wore in the 1986 World Cup, with which he scored a historic goal against England. This shirt carries a great story, and that is why its price is estimated at about 10 million pounds sterling, while the cost of making it does not exceed 100 dollars. Who owns this shirt?” He owns part of the story, and this great value of the story is not limited to the field of sports only, but extends to other areas of the economy and society, and this is what Robert Shiller explains in his book (The Economy of Narratives), where he explains how stories affect the behavior of consumers, investors, and producers, and that we as humans We love stories and are moved by them, and whoever can create good stories can influence people, direct their interest and consume them.”
Qualitative shifts
For his part, journalist Youssef Omar spoke about his experience with social media, wondering whether the phone will be the future of communication tools, or is the world moving toward easier and more effective technologies? He answered – according to his vision – “The future will be for augmented reality glasses that can bring about qualitative transformations in various sectors, most notably knowledge, learning, communication and mobility.”
Omar gave a presentation on his journey in using glasses and how they helped him read the Holy Qur’an translated into English during his prayer, due to his lack of mastery of Arabic, indicating that this experience when he presented it on social media platforms witnessed a great interaction from followers, and he explained that this experience can be developed to advance large sectors. Such as tourism, education, transportation and communication.
He added: “There is a great opportunity for people with passion and abilities to be influential in their communities. Instead of being mere followers of stories and content published by others, they can become makers of the stories and content that is published for them, and they can use phones and the virtual world as means to spread their ideas, talents, and visions of the world.” And to receive training from experts and teachers in their fields. Hence, I advise content makers who have millions of followers to take the hands of their followers and provide them with information that helps them move from being mere recipients to content creators.”
The summit activities began with the show “Mind to Mind: Connected” by the duo James Harrington and Marina Liani, who were famous for their exceptional performances in high-profile talent programs such as “America’s Got Talent,” “Britain’s Got Talent,” and “Ukraine’s Got Talent,” where they presented Their abilities to read minds and communicate with each other in magical ways through which Marina Liani reveals numbers and objects with her eyes closed.
#Billion #Followers #Summit #confirms #pivotal #role #digital #content #future #knowledge
