OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: A workshop on the effective use of social media for government communications was organized by Delhi-based Public Relations firm Grey Matters Communication and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. at the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (IPR) department on Friday. The workshop was aimed at enhancing the skills of officers from the department in utilizing social media platforms for efficient government communication. The main objective of the workshop was to know the ways of highlighting the good governance and welfare focus of the government, reviewing social media processes and protocols being used in government communications, equipping officers with new tools and techniques, highlighting how to track and address grievances online, and sharing best practises.
IPR Director Onyok Pertin said that the workshop would go a long way in building confidence and improving the efficiency of the IPR officers in handling and using social media as a tool of government communications. He expressed his gratitude to the state government for taking the initiative to facilitate such a workshop. Pertin added that as connectivity was among the most significant benefits of social media, people should make optimal use of it for the benefit of everyone. An expert in the field, Dr. Navneet Anand, started the session by acknowledging the growth of Arunachal Pradesh in recent years. He said that the workshop would play a crucial role in further developing the working processes of government communication.
Highlighting the democratization of information, Dr. Anand said that every individual has become a news creator in today’s digital age and further emphasised that the increased responsiveness of society necessitates the introduction of new patterns for disseminating press releases through social media. Dr. Anand also provided insights into the concept of “less is more,” which stands for Learning, Exchanging, Scaling, and Synchronizing. He discussed the evolution of government communication since 1923 and highlighted the transformative changes in media and audience expectations.
He emphasized that social media platforms enable seamless conversations with the public and rapid information dissemination and underscored the potential of social media to accelerate the diffusion of information, ideas, practises, values, and social norms that support positive change. The impact of social media on government communication was thoroughly explored, and the attendees were taught how to discern fake news and educated on the importance of social media in the modern communication landscape. The training session commenced with interactive activities and a quiz game, fostering engagement and knowledge sharing among the attendees. The workshop saw the participation of prominent individuals from the IPR directorate, including district information and public relations officers (DIPROs).
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