Social media users warned against promoting ‘trash’

The Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja has warned social media users against promoting insulting, spurious and harmful material.
“Comments that create conflict in society should not be disseminated through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or any other social media outlet,” he said. “The social media users should be fully aware of what they are writing and what they are forwarding.”
Abdul Rahman Al-Hazza, chairman of the Saudi Broadcasting and Television Commission, read out the information minister’s address at the Gulf Economic Media Forum 2013 at the Asharqia Chamber.
Khoja could not make it to the conference due to the death of Prince Sattam, Governor of Riyadh.
The forum attracted some of the most prominent media personalities from Saudi Arabia and the neighboring Gulf states and was organized by Dar Alyaum Group in cooperation with Asharqia Chamber and the Federation of GCC Chambers and Commerce.
“In the last two decades, our world has become a global village because of the information revolution,” he said.
Khoja said the Gulf region has managed to overcome the economic crisis. “This is proof of the fact that the Gulf region is economically, socially and politically stable and strong,” he said. “It is because of the strength of our economy that Saudi Arabia has been included in the G20, the group of the world’s top industrial nations.”
Khoja said the media in the GCC countries have to play their role. “Economic experts and analysts can play a leading role in generating new ideas to sustain economic growth,” he said.
Asharqia Chamber President Abdulrahman Al-Rashid highlighted the importance of economic forums and media forums to contribute to national development.
The forum was divided into three sessions. The first session focused on changes in the international arena and the ability of the Gulf media to cope with these changes. The second session highlighted confidence-building measures between media and economic institutions, while the final session discussed the new media and its conflict with print media.
Prominent among those who attended the forum was Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg, Mohamed Al-Owail, Ihsan Buhulaiga, Al-Hasa Chamber President Saleh Al-Afaleq, Idrees Abduallah Idrees, Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al-Mudaifer, Othman Al-Omair, Qenan Al-Ghamdi and Anwar Abdulrahman (Bahrain).