Thanks to the Brookings Institute I recently had to privilege of attending the U.S./ Islamic World Forum in Qatar participating in the working group, ‘New Media in the Era of Globalization’. One of the other members of my group was Riyaad Minty, who as Head of Social Media for Al Jazeera, has been at the center of the emergence of new media as a social, political and transformative force.

We discuss the role of social media in Gaza and Iran and what he has learned from his hands on, pivotal role in so many critical news stories of last year. He explains the life cycle for the effective use of social media, the challenges of accurately measuring engagement and by whom, and what happens when social media runs up against a hostile government. It was a fascinating discussion involving education, literacy, technology, human rights and the need to promote cultural exchange rather than impose change.