Queen Rania of Jordan has been presented with The Influential Personality of the Year Award by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and son of the Ruler of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The award ceremony took place yesterday at the third annual Arab Social Media Influencers Summit (ASMIS) in Dubai.
The ASMIS is under the patronage of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the brother-in-law of Queen Rania as he is married to her husband’s younger sister, Princess Haya. The event brought together more than a thousand social media influencers and stakeholders from across the globe.
Her Majesty was the keynote speaker after receiving the award, and she spoke on serving humanity. She called on social media influencers to use their time to seek out the truth because misinformation is too easily spread online. MIT research has shown that it fake news is more likely to be retweeted on Twitter than factual information.
Citing this research, the Queen said that “the truth is losing ground to emotional rhetoric and sensational rumours” before warning against blaming online platforms for the spread of the false information, “do we blame these technologies and exonerate ourselves – as users and influencers?”
Continuing, Queen Rania remarked, “We owe it to the truth to seek it out and distribute it. It might not be the most appealing or fascinating but not all that glitters is gold. Let us aim to give truth the final word.”
The Queen, an avid social media user, went on to discuss her personal views on social media – admitting at times she has wished it did not exist. However, she stressed that change must come from the people: “We hoped that social media would change our status quo, but the solutions must come from us, and change must start from within.”
Her Majesty also encouraged sharing positive change on social media and the motivation of proactive campaigns, “Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but a share and a like are no substitute for action. Over the years, we have seen many succeed in garnering support for humanitarian causes through social media, and changing the lives of many.”
The rest of her remarks focused on making a difference in the world based on our values, how social media has veered from constructive communication, and how social media influencers should use their time and popularity to “impact people and rally support for those who need it most.”
Queen Rania concluded her remarks with important advice, “Be kind to others because the simplest expression of our humanity is a kind word.”