By Brooke Anderson
BEIRUT: Many activists have a strong social media presence, but not all of them know how to properly use the various platforms to reach their intended audience. A conference Saturday aims to bridge this gap by teaching members of civil society how to better expand their reach.“We found there was a gap between traditional and digital media, and we wanted to bridge that gap,” said Nada Hamzeh, media program specialist at Promoting Active Citizen Engagement at her office in Hamra, as she prepared for Saturday’s event.
“Our aim is to empower them by bringing them together.”
The all-day event, @Social Media’s PACE Fair, which will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Hamra Street starting 8:30 a.m., will bring together around 150 civil society activists and media professionals to explore ways to foster better civic engagement and advance social change.
The fair will feature panel discussions, workshops, consultancy booths and networking activities. NGOs will discuss how to increase their impact through digital activism. Meanwhile, marketers will explore ways to increase coordination between traditional and social media.
“Social media is all about networking,” said Hamzeh, who is quick to add that a major emphasis of the conference will be on quality rather than the quantity of networking. “People think about the amount of likes and tweets. They should be thinking about the content they’re posting online.”
Indeed, with all of the online activity in Lebanon, PACE found that there was surprisingly little coordination between activists and digital marketers.
“In Lebanon, civil society doesn’t approach digital marketing,” Hamzeh said. “They need to learn where to find their audience, what message to broadcast and where, if they’re working for a cause to action or change.
“Most traditional media in Lebanon is politically affiliated,” she added.
PACE was established two years ago with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development. The program provides grants, technical assistance and training to Lebanese civil society organizations. It says it is committed to nonpartisan, nonconfessional approaches to civic engagement.
Hamzeh cites Lebanon’s smoking ban that went into effect last September after years of lobbying on the part of civil society activists as an example of a successful coordinated effort to make a difference in society. But she emphasizes that it could not have been done without significant work offline.
“IndyAct did a great job in raising awareness and changing the law,” she said. “But it’s not enough to do it online. They got doctors and lawyers to join their cause. The pressure doesn’t [happen] online. They need to take action on the ground.”
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04/06/2013
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