Social media for social change in Azerbaijan

How can non-profit organisations use social media as a tool for social change and innovation? Leading digital strategist Peter Svarre showed a group of selected youth multimedia producers how in Azerbaijan

By Celia Davies, Baku

Organised by the IMS-supported Azerbaijan Youth Media Center and the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, the three-day intensive training course in Baku led participants through a series of exercises on the practical and theoretical components of developing and practicing social media strategies.

Targeted deployment is key

Addressing potential pitfalls of social media such as misjudging the audience and using the wrong type of platform, Peter Svarre, a leading Danish social media strategist and author stressed the importance for especially non-proft organisations to realise that social media are merely tools and do not constitute a social media strategy on their own:

“They must be used with considerable care and targeted deployment in order for your organisation to gain the best possible results”, said Peter Svarre.

“A wealth of opportunities” for young Azerbaijanis

The participants were also exposed to the ways in which social media theory can be applied in practice to develop personal and organisational capacity and outreach, and following a briefing on the multiple social media tools and features, participants were given a chance to brainstorm and develop social media strategies relevant to their own purposes, across business development, communication, and organisational strengthening.

Reflecting on the methodology of the training and the importance of combining practical and theoretical knowledge, participant Gulay Veliyeva said:

“The trainings were conducted at an advanced level, and the combination of theory and practical work, gave me a better understanding of the topic, also in relation to my professional work.”

Along with the rest of the group, Veliyeva expressed plans to use her newfound knowledge in re-invigorating her own social media strategy:

“Social media isn’t just about talking with your friends. These tools open up a wealth of opportunities to young Azerbaijanis, allowing them to reach out and connect with individuals and groups around the world.”

While Facebook has achieved a relatively high penetration with the internet-using population in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, other social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter have yet to be fully exploited as communications and development resources.

For many young activists in Azerbaijan, social networks represent the final frontier of free expression and information in the country, with independent print media outlets collapsing under a burden of financial pressures, local television channels controlled largely by the state, and international radio stations banished in January 2009.

The Azerbaijan Youth Media Center who organised the social media course, is supported by IMS to enable media savvy youth to use new and innovative media tools to produce multimedia material that draws attention to important social, economic, and political issues in their society.