DHAHRAN: Ithra concluded its first ever Sync Digital Wellbeing Summit on Wednesday with several main takeaways.
The second day began with bestselling author Simon Sinek joining virtually for a discussion about the future of digital well-being.
Sinek reminded viewers of some practical tips which he personally uses to help him stay present, like putting his phone on airplane mode during physical meetings and turning off notifications from all of his devices.
But not everyone is able to realistically or safely shut off all devices.
The summit shared some eye-opening statistics compiled over the last year, showing that 53 percent of people claimed that, when given the choice, they would rather live without a close friend than their phone.
In a panel titled “The Power of Gaming,” panelists attempted to dispel the myths surrounding the gaming community.
Within the discussion, HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar, president of the Saudi Esports Federation, spoke about how gaming can be used for good.
“The game creation industry is very important in the Kingdom. It is a very effective way to encourage our children to use games as a way to represent and tell the world about our culture through a medium they can enjoy,” he told the crowd at the Sync Summit.
“We have a rich history and culture of storytelling and poetry. We think of the stories you know around the world, ‘1001 Arabian Nights,’ ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves,’ we have such a rich history of stories, not religious, but storytelling and prose and poetry,” he added.
The prince emphasized the importance of providing young men and women in Saudi Arabia — and in the region — the chance to explore another avenue and reclaim their narrative to go beyond the mainstream and into the metaverse.
In the panel “Looking Through the Digital Lens — Fact or Fiction?” Arab News’ Head of Research & Studies, Tarek Ali Ahmad, spoke about the dangers of spreading unverified WhatsApp content in the Arab world, and how we should all fact-check our own family members and friends.
Many readers skim headlines and not read articles, so misinformation is often spread that way.
Ali Ahmad was joined by Govindraj Ethiraj, founder of IndiaSpend & BOOMLive, India, and Dr. Sinan Aral, author and director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. The panel was moderated by UAE-based broadcast journalist Laura Buckwell.
Other panels during the summit included two different townhall sessions, one entitled “The Great Reset,” where experts helped the audience redefine what we collectively and individually consider our digital norms.
Another, “Does the Internet Need Warning Labels,” saw experts ponder that important question. A panel was also dedicated entirely to “Gen Z Versus the Digital World,” with other panels discussing how to be responsible online.
