Content creator Tasnim Omran is raising awareness about the connection between social media’s portrayals of filtered lifestyles and its impact on mental health

Sharjah, November 14, 2024

A lady poses with her branded bag, high heels and clothes on a railway station platform to announce her travel to a popular destination; the second image shows her actual travel mode with a load of suitcases and bags which makes it clear that travel is not uber cool but can be tedious in reality. Content creator and author Tasnim Omran was at the 43rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) to explain “Instagram vs Reality: The Truth Behind Perfect Posts” to an audience that comprised mostly teenagers.

Teens today have got bolder and are willing to be true to themselves and to their followers on social media. They take two photos – one that looks “Instagram perfect” and the other the real, behind-the-scenes moments – for example messy rooms or retakes – and create a split post that reveals the difference between the curated and the authentic.

Vietnamese chef Thuy Diem Pham prepared crispy fried fish and tomato rice
paper rolls giving a French twist to it

Sharjah, November 14, 2024

“The best thing about fusion food is that we take the best of a culture and combine it with what is special to you,” said British-Vietnamese chef Thuy Diem Pham as she set about preparing a French inspired dish during the “Vietnam on a Plate: Thuy Diem’s Cooking Demo” at the 43rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) which is happening at Expo Centre Sharjah.

 Visitors have fun interacting with members of the Cherry Family –
spring, summer, autumn and winter – roaming in the SIBF 2024 venue

Sharjah, November 14, 2024

“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” wrote English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in his poem “Ode to the West Wind”. But where can we see winter, spring, summer and autumn together? Come to the 43rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, which is happening at Expo Centre Sharjah, to witness the roaming show of The Cherry Trees and be awed by the four seasons walking around the halls and lobbies with children and adults milling around them.

The Trends Research & Advisory pavilion at Sharjah International Book Fair has two robots that interact with the public and answer anything under the sun.

Sharjah, November 13, 2024

This is my first time at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), says Echo, the life-sized robot at the pavilion of Trends Research & Advisory, the decade-old research institution in Abu Dhabi exhibiting at SIBF 2024. The male-voiced Echo has a female humanoid robot called Moxy for company, much smaller in size and looking like a local.