DUBAI: Khadija Hussain, Executive Director of Government Communication at the UAE Government Media Office, showcased several examples and landmarks in her government communication career that paved the way for an organic transformation of work methods. During a session titled ‘MaximiSing Government Engagement Through Social Media Era’, she highlighted the replacement of traditional communication models by strategic government communication with the advent of new terms such as ‘engagement’, ‘responses’, ‘analysis of audience comments tone of voice’, and ‘measuring satisfaction’, towards moving to a full strategy for ‘Communication Through Social Media’.
Khadija Hussain also pointed out the huge impact generated by the UAENation (@uae.nation.uae) platform, which covers Emirati events and amplifies Emirati voices across the UAE community. The platform has recorded 173.2 million views over the course of 2 years.
The session was part of Day 2 events planned for the 1 Billion Followers Summit in its 2nd edition,
organized in Dubai by the New Media Academy under the theme ‘Get Connected’.
During the session, she explained how new media influenced major transformations in the structure of government communications, altering concepts that were the norm for decades in terms of content, rhetoric, timing and audience targeting. Pushed into competition with a growing number of round-the-clock news platforms, government communications utilized the huge potential of social media channels, and the expanding base of news consumers who prefer shorter, faster news snippets on their phone screens.
The new reality of news traveling instantly meant that social media platforms became the inevitable choice for news editing teams in government entities. This, in turn, meant content had ton be direct, simple and attractive, which reflected positively on the effectiveness of government communication, Khadija explained.
On what she called ‘endings that give rise to new beginnings’, Khadija Hussain said that the success of communication
s teams depends heavily on riding the wave of new media. ‘We had to learn how to listen and how to respond around the clock. The changes we had to make were not limited to the structure of communication teams, but extended to changes in their skillset.
‘The first ‘ending’ in a series of major transformations came as we moved from a singular focus on traditional media to publish government news, initiatives, resolutions and campaigns, to social media platforms. Our content is developed to fit these platforms as a priority.
‘His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai was the first inspiration for a prominent national and government presence across social media, as he launched his official account on Twitter (now X) in 2009, attracting over 27 million followers to become the first Arab and 11 international accounts among the world’s most influential leaders on social media. Today, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s account and other official gov
ernment accounts, including @UAEGOV, have become the first approved source of government news in Dubai and the UAE,’ she added.
The second ending, she noted, was the end of one-way communication. This gave rise to a phase of evaluations and decision making through new media. Finally came the beginning of partnerships with UAE citizens and residents to utilize their insights and expertise.
Another key landmark in the area of government communications was a shift of government news focus from direct awareness to more engagement through edutainment.
‘We noticed at the UAE Government Media Office that some significant government news do not attract the expected attention among the audience, the youth in particular. Sometimes it is because the used terminology is too specialized, other times because the news does not relate directly to their everyday life. This inspired the launch of UAENation platform, where Emiratis present highlights of Emirati news, in a spontaneous, attractive and inspiring style in both A
rabic and English,’ she said.
Several programs on the UAENation platform were developed in collaboration with Emirati content creators, including ‘Inspiring Stories’ which relates success stories in various fields, and ‘By Law’ which is presented by Emirati lawyers who explain UAE laws in simplified terms.
‘With over 1,000 videos on the platform, it attracted around 1.1 million followers, 173.2 million views and over 10 million engagements over the past two years alone,’ she explained.
Ending the session, Khadija Hussain dedicated her praise to new media. ‘New media encourage our government to listen around the clock, welcome ideas through new platforms and celebrate creativity and accomplishments across the global stage. New media meant the end of the traditional government persona, and the beginning of a humanized government – one with voice and a heart,’ she concluded.
Source: Emirates News Agency