Media Influencers Give a Talk at AUK

The Department of Communication & Media at AUK, in collaboration with the Media Club, hosted a talk entitled "Discovering Arab Media" and invited popular media personalities, each from a different medium, to discuss their personal experiences in their fields with members of the AUK community. Local blogger Dana Al-Tuwairish, radio personality Farah Beshara, and actresses Shujoun Al-Hajeri and Reem Erhama, shared their stories with the audience in a discussion moderated by Dr. Mohammad Akbar and Dr. Iqbal AlHaddad, Assistant Professors of Communication at AUK.

Dana Al-Tuwairish spoke of her experience with social media and how she gained popularity to become a local celebrity and influencer. She highlighted some disadvantages that accompany being a local celebrity, such as having to deal with individuals who invade her privacy and take pictures of her and use them without seeking permission to do so, which may affect her reputation.

Farah Beshara was a Communication & Media student at AUK. Before she became a radio host at FM 99.7, she worked at a local bank. She explained that she found her work at the bank to be not suitable for her personality, as she found it to be too much of a routine. Upon that realization, she decided to pursue her passion for music and become a radio host.

Shujoun Al-Hajeri and Reem Erhama spoke of celebrity and the challenges they face from people who don't respect their personal space and cross the lines from fans to stalkers.

The lecture concluded with a Q&A session, where the attendees interacted with the speakers and asked questions about media in Kuwait. They explained the advantages and disadvantages of working in the different media platforms.

Hanouf Al-Azmi, President of the Media Club, explained that the talk offered an opportunity for students to learn more about celebrity life and the challenges celebrities face in Kuwait on a daily basis. "The Media Club always invites successful people to share their experiences with the AUK students, because we really need to learn from others in order to succeed in our work. And I advise all the students to be what they want and to work hard to achieve their goals as soon as they can," she said.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 18th April 2016

Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2016