MS2 Research - Day 2
I N T E R V I E W S | P A R T O N E
For day 2, I decided to reach out to people I know back home, who would be informed about the changes in demographic and mentalities back home.
I thus gathered insights from a) a young journalist working for a Saudi Gov run news agency, and b) an older journalist with established work for international news agencies.
Below are the answers to the questions asked, as well as additional insights acquired through conversation.
One of the interviewees later referred me to a municipal counselor for the region of Jeddah, who I am waiting to interview later this week.
A
What are the ways that grassroots movements form and medias through which like-minded young individuals communicate their thoughts and push for policy changes back in Saudi Arabia?
Grassroots movements met with skepticism, and often opposition. Gov led movements often miss target audience by margin. A lot on initiatives aren’t well advertised. (Saudi customs launched biking initiative with campaign of man biking from Riyadh to Bahrain,, but no coverage) Economic initiatives taking off and better advertised: Few Saudi apps & startups. Reaching the Saudi audience is hard: fine line between advertising well enough and over doing it. Most communication happens on Twitter: Saudi Arabia is #1 user of it in the world. Average user has 3 twitter accounts.
Is there any urgent need to fix one specific aspect of living back home? What is it, and how can I potentially focus on it for this project? (What are people demanding?) ——————————-
What, in your opinion, is an area of improvement that needs to be addressed in the quality of life of people back home?
From a judicial point of view, its convoluted, king’s desire and shariah law. This year is the year of entertainment, efforts have been stellar. Culture: new ministry have a list of 27 initiatives.
How can I encourage them to take initiative, and make them feel like their voices can actually be heard? (questionnaire?)
They talk about but don’t really act on creating change. They know that any decisions they make wont really make an impact. The gov didn’t do much to make them feel like they should even be a part of it. Get an influencer. The Saudi people are reeling, they are “shook”, torn and unable to come to a consensus about what is happening. Saudi Seasons: 11 seasons of entertainment happening around KSA in 2019. In Sharqiah (East PRovince) 83 diff events in a 15 day period: overwhelming, some opposed and some embracing the change. Everything needs to be marketed, its all a commodity. I have to prove actual engagement in the project. Talk to people who have experience with conducting workshops: HRDF, Hadaf.
Do you know how the government gages the people’s reaction to civic legislations, prior and post implementation? Have you heard of this “rumor spreading” technique? How does it work? Is it legit? Who is in charge of putting the word out there, and tracking reactions, and what are the ways it could be improved / can I spread rumors to gage people’s reaction as an experiment or would I be in trouble for it?
Calculated leaks, comes from the government, whispered into the right ear at the right time, not necessarily the entire accurate truth. It happens on a lot of different platforms, depends on who’s leaking it and what its for. Press release, change one thing ever so slightly to find out where the leaks come from.
Have you heard of Futures Thinking? Do you know whether it is adopted in decision making in Saudi Arabia?
In its current form, it might not be embraced. Saudi culture is cynical and jaded, saudi people don’t want to help themselves.
Psychographic & Demographic insights.
Saudi people are skeptical about everything. Youth Bulge: 60% under thirty. 15 - 30 primary target audience for anything happening in Saudi Cinicism : lack of resources and attention: Saudi youth in difficult position because of outside politics and the older generation Stereotypes: 30% active and involved, the others not so much. Mostly entitled, and expect things to be done for them. Why not go to the uae, stand back and see the saudi government going through rapid changes (hormonal teenager). Workshop that helps communication between people of different ideologies > needs to be marketed well. (free food and certificate) Misk does a lot of youth engagement > find someone from there. (kind of a joke) I will probably be turned down on a municipal and decision making level.
B
What are the ways that grassroots movements form and medias through which like-minded young individuals communicate their thoughts and push for policy changes back in Saudi Arabia?
Twitter democracy, where people actually give their voice, and are actually being heard. The average age of government officials in their thirties, and they’re people who want to be in touch with the population. What, in your opinion, is an area of improvement that needs to be addressed in the quality of life of people back home? Embracing people who are underprivileged, there is an increase in the divide, what with the increase in the entertainment that seems elitist. It will disenfranchise those people. They do use social media, due to its accessibility, however not as much as the well educated people. More of a civil society: one thing that is absent, they need to be engaged and empowered, and they feel ownership.
How can I encourage them to take initiative, and make them feel like their voices can actually be heard?
They would take the opportunity to be involved with government decision making. Traditional majlis society- it was very collaborative in the past: they would rule by consensus. Saudis are quite apathetic as people: in terms of activism, they want people to do it for them > they need a shift in mindset and incentive. Sense of entitlement, and never felt part of this decision making process.
Do you know how the government gages the people’s reaction to civic legislations, prior and post implementation? Have you heard of this “rumor spreading” technique? How does it work? Is it legit? Who is in charge of putting the word out there, and tracking reactions, and what are the ways it could be improved / can I spread rumors to gage people’s reaction as an experiment or would I be in trouble for it?
Haven’t heard of this.
Leakages change some decisions: Example of when people on twitter were outraged at the “leaked” idea that stores were no longer closing during our 5/day prayer times as part of the Jawdat Al Hayah program. This reaction discouraged policy makers from going through with it.
Have you heard of Futures Thinking? Do you know whether it is adopted in decision making in Saudi Arabia?
Problem with that: Tech is changing so rapidly, we don’t know where we’re going to be in the futures. We might actually be dictated to, due to the unforeseeable changes in Ai and disruptive tech. Current policy makers are attempting to be ahead of the game, and might be willing to adopt these forward thinking techniques.