Kudos to social media, it’s expats’ second home

Manama : Gone are the days when an expatriate wistfully recalls about his good old days with family and friends. The nostalgia factor is slowly wilting now with the advent of technology revolution in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. In the GCC, undoubtedly, Bahrain leads in the social media communication. 

For Hassan Hefni, an expat, his greatest fortune is that the explosion in social media communication is coinciding with his stay in Bahrain.

Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and other applications and programmes have made it so easy to keep in close touch with family. So he feels that he is only one heartbeat away from them.

“I feel so lucky that I can connect so easily and readily with family and friends. When I compare the situation today with what we had to endure years ago, I really feel blessed,” he said. “The new communication tools have also expanded my circle of acquaintances and friends. I am always so close with them, be they in Malaysia or in Morocco.”

Hassan has embraced modern technology easily and fell in love with its capabilities.

He readily understood that it would mean a whole new world of opportunities. He decided to become active through setting up his accounts and by keeping abreast with the latest developments.

“It is a fast-moving technology that has turned the world into a neighbourhood,” said the media expert. 

“Whenever I am using it I feel I am sitting among my friends in a café. Nobody is too far or too distant and communication is easy, smooth and swift. The highly advanced levels of communication in Bahrain have made matters very simple,” Hassan beamed.

“Communicating with my family in Egypt has really made my experiences as an expatriate here really interesting and without problems,” he adds.

Hassan said: “If you are homesick, you use video programmes and you find yourself talking with your father, brother or sister without any barriers or obstacles as if you are in the same room.”

“Suppose if you take the children to Adhari Park or Prince Khalifa Park, and want to share the pleasant experience with the family, you use an application. Family members have the opportunity to watch the kids live or see their pictures seconds after they are taken. It is a whole world of opportunities, and we are truly blessed,” he commented.

Hassan regularly shares his pictures of his two sons Ahmed and Ali with the family and friends following him on Facebook.