The advent of social media and Web 2.0 has democratized how citizens interact with people in power, be it members of parliament, donor organizations, international bodies, civil society and the media. Social media tools have paved the way for citizens to build a “personal” relationship with their rulers and their peers. These tools allow everyone – those in power and the normal citizens - to create and share content and add value to the political, social and economic debate.
Those reading this article know very well that Web 2.0 started as a massive social experiment. Today we’ve gone beyond the experiment. Social media and Web 2.0 are now part and parcel of our daily lives and thanks to this revolution, citizens in urban and rural areas are in an unprecedented position to have their voices heard!
Last February 2010 I had the honour and pleasure of talking with CNN’s anchor and correspondent, Jim Clancy on how social media has changed mainstream media. During our conversation, Clancy pointed out that mainstream journalists use social media to “mine” information and to “get the temperature”.
Over the last months, we’ve seen how citizens in countries where social media tools are banned have found inventive ways of sharing their message with the outside world. We have also seen that restrictions on the export of technology related to the use of internet-based communication have been lifted in the US to boost free flow of information in Iran, Sudan and Cuba. Since these tools are open and accessible, they’ve become a catalyst for transparency and accountability. And thanks to their egalitarian nature the farmers in rural areas, just like the urban activists in capitals have the same opportunity to have their voices heard.
Social media is allowing development workers to capture in real time emerging needs and trends and at the same time allows development workers to disseminate their messages and appeals in real time. A case in point is the appeals via Twitter for the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
At the same time, more and more development organizations are using a variety of social media tools to report live from events and to solicit comments and feedback. For example, last month, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), used a number of social media tools and social reporting methodology to report live from the third global meeting of the Farmers’ Forum and the thirty-third session of its Governing Council. IFAD’s social reporting team, composed of 10 volunteers, attended the various sessions and brought the meeting live to those who could not attend, through Twitter, photography, videos and through IFAD’s social reporting blog.
Together with Clancy who moderated a high-level panel discussion on "From summit resolutions to farmers' fields: Climate change, food security and smallholder agriculture", the IFAD’s social reporting team solicited questions via Twitter, which Clancy then fielded to the panellists and the audience, one from @mobimonkey and another from @mongkolroek.
For me, IFAD’s social reporting experience demonstrated how social media tools contribute to giving development a new participatory approach which goes beyond just words but is rooted in action.
If yesterday, we only needed to engage with governments and with grass-root communities, today, we have to engage with all those who wish to engage with us and have something to say. What has changed is that as development workers we have to continuously and consistently be “listening” to what people have to say.
Before the advent of social media, we could have afforded brushing off comments made in third-tier media. Today it is hard to ignore a farmer’s organisation blogpost or a comment on Twitter, because ignoring a comment or an observation can have a negative snowball effect. This means we need to be equipped to deal with feedback and criticism in a constructive and timely manner. This also means that today more than ever, development is a joint effort and there is an extended development community which includes all actors and most importantly the people who we serve and need to reach.
I believe that if international and development organizations fail to embrace social media they will become irrelevant in no time. We not only need to have our ears on the “social media tools” to hear and see what others are saying about us, about our partners and stakeholders, but also have to use these tools to influence policies, to set trends, advocate for eradicating rural poverty and advocate for smallholder farmers and the poor rural people whom we serve.
In concluding, I believe that social media is perhaps one of the greatest allies of development workers. Today we can get our messages out immediately through Twitter and through blogs. Our PowerPoint presentations are available on tools such as Slideshare, photos from our projects and programmes are readily available through Picasa and Flickr and everyone can see our achievements and challenges through our videos available on YouTube and Blip TV. At the same time, we have the opportunity to hear first hand and listen in real-time to issues and challenges as they emerge. We are in a position to get FIRST HAND information. We need to harness all this wealth of knowledge to fulfil our mandate of eradicating rural poverty and ensuring food security for all.
Author: Roxanna Samii
Manager, Web, Knowledge and Internal Communications
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/rsamii , http://twitter.com/ifadnews
Blog: http://rsamii.blogspot.com, http://ifad-un.blogspot.com
Blip.Tv: http://ifad.blip.tv
Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/ifad.photolibrary
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written by Jan Herder, May 29, 2010
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written by Neil Pakenham-Walsh, March 22, 2010
I would like to add a few comments:
Roxanna said: "The advent of social media and Web 2.0 has democratized how citizens interact with people in power, be it members of parliament, donor organizations, international bodies, civil society and the media. Social media tools have paved the way for citizens to build a 'personal' relationship with their rulers and their peers."
Social media do indeed create a channel of commuication between citizens and those in positions of power and influence. I am convinced that the power of these connections will go even further than suggested above. Social media have the potential to flatten hierarchies so that we - citizens, policymakers, whoever - will come to see ourselves on an increasingly level playing field with common goals. This, I believe, is already starting to happen in some communities of purpose (communities of practice where all stakeholders come together around shared goals and challenges in international development).
Roxanna said: "These tools allow everyone - those in power and the normal citizens - to create and share content and add value to the political, social and economic debate... If yesterday, we only needed to engage with governments and with grass-root communities, today, we have to engage with all those who wish to engage with us and have something to say."
Again, I would go further. We not only have to listen because people wish to engage with us and have something to say. We have to listen because development is all about understanding and meeting the needs of our fellow human beings. If we fail to listen, we fail to understand.
"... today more than ever, development is a joint effort and there is an extended development community which includes all actors and most importantly the people who we serve and need to reach."
I agree. Communities of purpose and other social media bring exciting possibilites for inclusive communication, understanding and advocacy. These changes will bring new and exciting challenges for international development. One of these is to develop better ways to harness the experience, expertise and perspectives of individual human beings in a way that will contribute meaningfully to policy and practice. We (HIFA2015) are currently exploring different ways to do this in relation to one complex challenge - understanding and meeting the information needs of healthcare providers in developing countries. For further information, see www.hifa2015.org
With thanks,
Dr Neil Pakenham-Walsh MB,BS
Coordinator, HIFA2015
Co-director, Global Healthcare Information Network
16 Woodfield Drive
Charlbury, Oxfordshire OX7 3SE, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1608 811338
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HIFA2015: http://www.hifa2015.org
Join HIFA2015 and CHILD2015 - send your name, organisation and brief description of your professional interests to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (or direct to Neil PW at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
"Healthcare Information For All by 2015: By 2015, every person worldwide will have access to an informed healthcare provider"
With thanks to our 2010 sponsors: British Medical Association, International Child Health Group, Network for Information and Digital Access, TRIP Database
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