Academics who participated in a forum in the Saudi capital recently warned citizens of the Kingdom about the negative effects of social media.
The forum was organized by media professionals in the Saudi capital in cooperation with the Arab Open University (AOU).
Abdurrahman Bawazeer, general supervisor for public relations and media consultant at Arab Open University (AOU), said that the social media had been used to spread rumors.
He said academics believe rumors spawned by social media creates confusion in the community and undermines the trust between citizens and government agencies, demanding the government and private institutions to do something about it.
Experts believe that changes in the communication environment should be undertaken for the benefit of the society and the nation in general.
Prof. Dr. Muhammed Alzakari, AOU director, said that “our security needs plans and programs to enhance security and support big government institutions’ efforts.” 
He called on the educational institutions to play integrated roles with the media to serve security in particular and the community in general. 
He noted that educational institutions are not doing enough to strengthen the role of the citizens as far as security is concerned, adding that they must have an effective strategy.
He added that the Ministry of Interior (MoI) should boost security “and it must have a strong content to help citizens to undertake their role through the social media.”
He also said that the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) has a leading role in ensuring security in social media.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Otaibi, NAUSS dean of the Faculty of Languages and Translation, urged the government and civil society, including the universities, to provide information to guide citizens.
Dr. Samhan Al-Dosari, research center assistant director of scientific quality management and development in the fight against crime at the Interior Ministry, stressed the concept of preemptive protection.

Source : Arab News