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This study aims to explore the moderating effect of trust on the relationship between social media engagement, relationship benefits, and social relationships, utilizing an innovative framework grounded in social exchange theory. Employing a quantitative analysis with structural equation modeling (SEM), using a questionnaire distributed to a sample of 493 Jordanian youth, the results unveil a positive correlation between social media engagement and social relationships, with trust emerging as a crucial moderator in this dynamic. Trust positively moderates the connection between social media engagement and social relationships. This research sheds light on the pivotal role of trust in shaping social relationships on social media platforms. However, the interaction between trust and relationship benefits does not significantly impact social relationships. By expanding on existing knowledge, this study offers a fresh perspective on the interplay between trust, social media engagement, relationship benefits, and social relationships, emphasizing the potential of understanding trust to foster stronger social connections in the digital age. The results suggest that the positive influence of social media engagement on social relationships possibly will be determined by the level of trust present inside online communities.

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The study aims to reveal the consistency of the types of courses in the study plans of the bachelor’s programs and specializations in journalism and media in Arab universities, along with the classification of the UNESCO model curriculum courses on teaching journalism in developing countries. It adopted three types of courses that need to be included in any curriculum in the field of journalism teaching: Professional Training Courses (47%), Journalism Courses (10%), and arts and other sciences courses (43%). This model was applied to academic plans of journalism and media programs and specializations in nine Arab public universities covering the three Arab regions: The Levant and Iraq, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Maghreb and North Africa. In addition, the study adopted the descriptive approach by analyzing and describing the components of the study plans in terms of form and content. The study results showed that the faculties and departments of communication and media in the selected sample of Arab Universities offer different programs more in teaching journalism and media disciplines. In contrast, communication studies are almost limited to public relations programs. As for the content level of the three courses (vocational training courses, journalistic studies courses, and courses from other arts and sciences) included in their study plans in different proportions, some of them are compatible with the estimates of the UNESCO model curriculum, while some are far away from these estimates. Also, there is a methodological and scientific gap between the practical and theoretical aspects in most of the selected sample of programs and disciplines. KEYWORDS University education in Arab countries, ideal journalistic competence, teaching methods, courses, vocational training, journalism and media studies

This study aims to identify the contents of crisis communication used by the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to raise awareness of the dangers of coronavirus (COVID-19) and reduce its spread in three phases – preparation, initial and maintenance – following the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication model. The study implemented content analysis for three elements from the crisis and risk communication components introduced by the UAE government. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic crisis, the UAE government quickly drew up a national plan to deal with the crisis under the leadership of the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). In the maintenance phase, it relied on a number of means to raise awareness of coronavirus and prevent its spread; these included press conferences, periodic media briefings, awareness campaigns, community-based initiatives, and electronic publications on official websites of the NCEMA and the MOHAP. It also provided diverse, honest, accurate and detailed crisis communication to explain the crisis. All the UAE government's communication content provided a variety of rich information on the new coronavirus. This helped to deal with the crisis efficiently and effectively and contributed to raising community awareness and highlighting the health system's ability to investigate and follow up in a timely manner.