As media organisations become more connected to their audience, the opportunities for hostile actors to take advantage of that connectivity increase as well, Al Jazeera Media Network’s (AJMN) 'Future of Media – Leaders’ Summit' was told on Thursday.
“Increased connectivity and complexity, a shortage of IT security experts, and a rise in motivated attackers all combine to threaten broadcast media in ways the industry may not be prepared for, said Haroon Meer, founder of South African firm Thinkst Applied Research.
“Addressing those threats requires a fundamental change in mindset,” he stated in a presentation on cyber security and the broadcast industry.
“The threat is real. Broadcast has been protected almost by accident because you have been hidden on an island, and you’re not anymore,” Meer said. “You will be breached. The question is, how will you react?”
Held under the patronage of AJMN’s chairman Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer al-Thani, the event concluded on Thursday. Described as the first of its kind in the region, the summit saw prominent figures and leaders of the world’s top broadcasting and media organisations’ discussing innovation and transformation strategies in the face of digital disruption.
Thursday’s proceedings began with a pair of presentations about the ways increased social media use has affected media organisations’ relationship with their content and audiences.
Keynote speaker Mohamed Nanabhai, deputy CEO at Media Development Investment Fund, outlined how quickly the way news organisations and their audiences interact have changed. He reminded attendees that as recently as 20 years ago, information moved in one direction, from media providers to consumers. Since then, however, the flow has become increasingly back and forth.
“People on social media are now the first one to cover events such as protests, and that in turn drives media coverage. That coverage then then drives people to take part in these events, which creates even more coverage on social media. It becomes a cycle,” Nanabhai said.
He noted several contradictions that social media has created for the media industry. For example, organisations have lost their direct link to their audiences, but are paradoxically able to engage more with them. While new narratives and voices are emerging that were once overlooked, at the same time censorship by state actors is also on the rise.
Al Jazeera executive director Dr Yaser Bisher addressed the changing relationship between media and audience in his presentation about Al Jazeera’s digital strategy.
Keynote speaker Paul Lee, partner and global head of research for the technology, media, and telecommunications industry at Deloitte, presented research about the ways digital and traditional media are complementing each other. While mobile device usage has climbed over the last three years, live television consumption has remained steady — and significantly higher than digital usage.
He added that although people are spending more time on their phones, certain forms of media, such as feature films and television series, do not lend themselves to mobile consumption because of the limitations in screen size.
Mohamed Abuagla, CIO/CTO of Al Jazeera Media Network, presented on how the organisation has constantly adapted to changing technology over its 20-year history.
He identified several developing technologies that will continue to shape Al Jazeera’s approach, including artificial intelligence, Big Data and Blockchain.
In closing the summit, Dr Mostefa Souag, acting director general of AJMN, hoped the event "has contributed to a clearer picture of the future of the media and the expected changes in the nature of our work, so that we can prepare to keep pace with this development and make maximum use of it".
“Addressing those threats requires a fundamental change in mindset,” he stated in a presentation on cyber security and the broadcast industry.
“The threat is real. Broadcast has been protected almost by accident because you have been hidden on an island, and you’re not anymore,” Meer said. “You will be breached. The question is, how will you react?”
Held under the patronage of AJMN’s chairman Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer al-Thani, the event concluded on Thursday. Described as the first of its kind in the region, the summit saw prominent figures and leaders of the world’s top broadcasting and media organisations’ discussing innovation and transformation strategies in the face of digital disruption.
Thursday’s proceedings began with a pair of presentations about the ways increased social media use has affected media organisations’ relationship with their content and audiences.
Keynote speaker Mohamed Nanabhai, deputy CEO at Media Development Investment Fund, outlined how quickly the way news organisations and their audiences interact have changed. He reminded attendees that as recently as 20 years ago, information moved in one direction, from media providers to consumers. Since then, however, the flow has become increasingly back and forth.
“People on social media are now the first one to cover events such as protests, and that in turn drives media coverage. That coverage then then drives people to take part in these events, which creates even more coverage on social media. It becomes a cycle,” Nanabhai said.
He noted several contradictions that social media has created for the media industry. For example, organisations have lost their direct link to their audiences, but are paradoxically able to engage more with them. While new narratives and voices are emerging that were once overlooked, at the same time censorship by state actors is also on the rise.
Al Jazeera executive director Dr Yaser Bisher addressed the changing relationship between media and audience in his presentation about Al Jazeera’s digital strategy.
Keynote speaker Paul Lee, partner and global head of research for the technology, media, and telecommunications industry at Deloitte, presented research about the ways digital and traditional media are complementing each other. While mobile device usage has climbed over the last three years, live television consumption has remained steady — and significantly higher than digital usage.
He added that although people are spending more time on their phones, certain forms of media, such as feature films and television series, do not lend themselves to mobile consumption because of the limitations in screen size.
Mohamed Abuagla, CIO/CTO of Al Jazeera Media Network, presented on how the organisation has constantly adapted to changing technology over its 20-year history.
He identified several developing technologies that will continue to shape Al Jazeera’s approach, including artificial intelligence, Big Data and Blockchain.
In closing the summit, Dr Mostefa Souag, acting director general of AJMN, hoped the event "has contributed to a clearer picture of the future of the media and the expected changes in the nature of our work, so that we can prepare to keep pace with this development and make maximum use of it".
