The women’s majlis: The power of social media to stay in touch

I usually don’t have much time to sit with my family. Also, I am disconnected from my friends. Most of my compatriots work full-time jobs as well, and some of them have families, which limits their time even more.

Fawzeya Abdul Rahman

July 16, 2015

Anyone working full-time will tell you that they barely have time for socialising with friends. I wake up every day at 6.30am and get to work around 7.15am, and depending on the flow of work, I leave by 4.30 or 5pm. More often than not, I take some of my work home with me to be able to meet deadlines. Then I go to bed, wake up and repeat the same cycle the following day.

I usually don’t have much time to sit with my family. Also, I am disconnected from my friends. Most of my compatriots work full-time jobs as well, and some of them have families, which limits their time even more. Whenever we plan to meet up, usually things don’t work according to plan. It takes a lot of organising, and in the end, some won’t be able to show up.

I often use social media to stay connected with my friends. We started a WhatsApp group to share our daily stories. This group helps me keep up to date with what is going on in other’s lives too. It’s great to share information with your friends at one click either by posting pictures, sending voice notes, and receiving their responses all together.

For example, after having a difficult day at work, it is a great release to send your complaints to all your friends at once, and read their responses and advice on the subject. It feels like your friends are still there for you, even if not physically around you.

Another social media site I find useful is Twitter, which has a remarkable amount of information that can be easily accessed. Twitter combines all your news outlets together on one website – magazines, your favourite journalists, even world leaders. So you can receive all the latest news and events taking place in the world just by checking your timeline. Not to forget, for many people, Twitter is their voice, a place where they can share their thoughts on the world around them.

So, for someone like me who finds it difficult to stay connected to the current events, it’s a great method to stay informed and learn so much from people across the globe.

A lot of people criticise the digital age and its effect on people’s behaviour. Some people stress over how social media keeps youngsters to remain glued to their gadgets and laptops; how it causes some of them to become more distant and reclusive – in other words, a huge waste of time. This does apply to some individuals, but it does not mean that the effect of social media on our lives has been all negative. The speed with which you can get in touch with a friend and your quick access to information is what makes social media a revolutionary means of communication. It is not a substitute for real human interaction, but in the midst of the busy lives we lead, it’s a great way to ensure we stay connected to our friends and the world.

Fawzeya Abdul Rahman works for the Abu Dhabi Government.

If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, contact Melinda Healy on mhealy@thenational.ae

The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives. 

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast. 

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker. 

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

World Cricket League Division 2

In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.

UAE fixtures

Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press

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Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km

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