The first pillar of development is the human aspect, followed by communication. While technological breakthroughs drive the creation of jobs, products, and services, communication connects people's knowledge, skills, and participation.
As the key link between social growth, technology, and structural changes, communication shapes the future, ensures sustainability, and directs change.
Social development revolves around structural changes with the construction of roads, airports, and ports, which serve as connections between communities: the innovator, the consumer, the entrepreneur, the scientist, the educator, and so on.
So, technology is in everything we do, and it is a constant and changing force. Crafting stones, starting fires to prepare food, and smelting metal to build bridges and wheels are examples of social transformation. Knowledge and skills are transferable, and that makes life interesting.
Before the discovery of oil around 1964, Oman was an agrarian country, with agriculture serving as a source of livelihood and economy. In the 1976s, things changed, and the strategy was planned to create employment and encourage investment. The transition to modernity altered the lives of Omani people. Villagers started moving out of their farms and into the cities to take on new roles and nurture a growing urban society.
Cities and villages slowly flourished with real estate development, hospitality, and structural facilities. Much still needs to be done.
We appreciated that the then ‘modern Oman’, replaced traditional education, which focused primarily on religious studies, Arabic, and basic math, with a more diverse curriculum. Since then, education has advanced significantly, with universities and educational institutions catering to various nationalities, as well as the establishment of academic research and accrediting bodies.
We live in a dynamic process characterised by strong relationships between citizen engagement, technological development, and research awareness. These suggest that education plays a vital role in supporting social activities.
The perspectives on communication and technology help to build a tapestry of the fields of the humanities. That is, reflecting on societal challenges and how they relate to the national priority agenda. By 1995, Oman had launched Vision 2020 to promote economic diversification and stimulate economic growth. It was the first country in the Arab Peninsula to implement a foresight program. Nowadays, the focus is on Vision 2040, which has people and society as its pillars.
To showcase Oman as an international centre of study and development, it is vital to discuss, listen to, and learn from different communities. And that has been the topic, Connecting Communities, that I addressed as a keynote speaker for the 7th Sohar University Research Conference 2024, themed Consolidating National Priorities Towards Global Reach.
Sharing information and expertise is one way to promote social empowerment. Connecting academics with students, industry, and technology, as well as communities, is crucial for understanding the geopolitics of development and collaborative actions.
Jobs, services, and products are essential factors for economic growth and social progress, but information and communication are equally significant. Perhaps it is time to step back from the consumption of cultural commodities to meet the needs of society and industry while also preserving natural resources.
Embracing advancements in commerce, finance, education, housing, health, and the environment, including offering proposals for public policies, revolves around structural changes.
It is a dialogue between the private and public sectors in which both communities (the private and the public) identify what they want, what they need, and how they can work together to meet their requirements and improve their lives (the society).
The entire human history is tangled with innovations that we, as individuals, create. Without the human factor and its ingenuity, social empowerment and economic growth might take a longer time to provide positive results, despite all good intentions.
People are about social relationships and cultural and societal experiences. Community and society are utterly linked through communication.
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