WHY AN INFLUENCER WENT UNDERCOVER
An Arab influencer has described how his undercover ‘social experiments’ helped shed light on humanitarian issues.
Omar Farooq is a young Bahraini filmmaker who is one of the region’s top YouTube stars. The social media star on Sunday gave a talk on how he used “undercover” videos shot in the most unexpected settings to spread information on humanitarian issues to his viewers and the general public.
Farooq was one of the speakers at the 10th International Government Communication Forum (IGCF).
Showcasing his filmmaking “social experiments,” wherein he shot inside a prison, as a person with special needs going on Umrah in Makkah, as an undercover customs officer in Bahrain, and on the ground in Beirut after the devastating port explosion in 2020, Farooq noted that his efforts brought an understanding of the wider realities and challenges to millions of his followers on social media. His YouTube videos have garnered more than 500 million views. Through his work, he explored the scope of human communication and the importance of quick response to traumatic situations such as war, attacks or natural disasters.
Being held under the theme, ‘Historic lessons, Future ambitions’ IGCF 2021 has brought together 79 experts in communication from 11 Arab and other countries to discuss innovative crisis management methods and the future direction of government communication.