CIOIN

It’s hard to argue with the fact that the government and the youth are always at loggerheads. But if there’s something that could bridge the gap between the two; that's where social media comes in.

Not many are untouched by the power of social media, but for the government to take a step towards a technology that opens new doors for communication, it’s a welcoming change. 

According to research firm Gartner, by 2012 Facebook, one of the most popular social media platforms will become the hub for social network integration and Web socialization. It is this type of simple adaptation of social networking which was the main objective of India’s Public Diplomacy Division.

Launched in 2006 by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the aim of the division was to spread awareness about India’s foreign policy among its citizens. In 2010, the division became the first central government ministry to proactively use social media. A two-man army, Navdeep Suri, joint secretary and Abhay Kumar, under secretary, Public Diplomacy Division created a Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Issuu account in July 2010. This was set up to encourage the youth to participate in government affairs and give their suggestions.

The Facebook page has been used for sharing photographs, videos and upcoming events while the Twitter account is used for engaging the young generation in brief conversations, political in nature. The YouTube account has been used for sharing short versions of documentaries produced by the Public Diplomacy Division. Issuu, on the other hand is used as an online publishing platform for releasing PHD magazines, India Perspectives and other guides and brochures.

And today, the division has over 14,000 followers on Twitter, and about 10,000 likes on Facebook.

But why social media? Suri and Kumar felt that there was a need for a new channel which provides a democratic platform for the youth to interact with the government and understand foreign policy matters. “IT can play a major role in improving the efficiency of government organizations in service delivery, information sharing and taking inputs from common people in crowd-sourcing,” says Suri.

Citing an example, he says, implementing paperless mode of communication in government offices can help in faster and easier communication.  “Web 1.0 was taken over by Web 2.0 after the arrival of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. No organization serious about communication can ignore the power of social media,” says Suri.  

Not only has the platform created awareness about the MEA’s policies, it has also enhanced the younger generation’s knowledge about the country's foreign policy. Thanks to YouTube, it has provided a democratic platform which enabled us to share short versions of close to two hundred documentaries showcasing the various facets of Indian culture, civilization, economy, polity and science and technology.

One of the documentaries titled Musalman, is about a hand-written newspaper published from Chennai which has been viewed by over 60,000 people. “The social media initiatives of the Public Diplomacy Division have served as a catalyst for many of our missions and posts abroad to start their own Facebook pages,” adds Suri.