MBRCGI Websites
|
Ibtekr.org
|
MBRCGI.gov.ae
|
UAE Innovates
|
Edge of Government
|
Pitch@Gov

Social media influencers to raise awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic

5 minute read
Finland relies on social media influencers to deliver reliable information on COVID-19
Share this content

Add to Favorite ♡ 0

To address the spread of epidemics and viruses, governments have a set of basic tasks and measures to be taken, including establishing effective and rapid communication channels. With the absence of such channels and the lack of sufficient information during health crises, false information and rumors start circulating, leading to panic, fear, and shame in case someone was infected. Consequently, people will feel unprotected and may resort to harming themselves or others. With this in mind, the rapid spread of COVID-19 in many countries was the result of a lack of awareness that made it more difficult to contain the virus. As part of its efforts to address this challenge, Finland started relying on the most famous social media influencers to deliver accurate and reliable information and raise awareness of the virus. Finland even classified social media influencers as critical actors. The list of influencers includes rap dancers, authors, and bloggers. This initiative will reinforce the government's efforts in raising awareness and spreading reliable information, especially among younger demographic groups which are difficult to reach through traditional means.  {j}

كجزء من جهودها الرامية إلى مواجهة هذا التحدي، بدأت فنلندا بالاستعانة بأشهر المؤثرين على منصات التواصل الاجتماعي لإيصال معلومات دقيقة وموثوقة ونشر الوعي بكوفيد19.  حتى أن الحكومة الفنلندية منحتهم اسمًا وهو "أصحاب المهام الحرجة". وتشمل قائمة المؤثرين راقصي راب ومؤلفين وكٌتاب مدوّنات.  إن من شأن هذه المبادرة تعزيز جهود الحكومة الرامية إلى نشر الوعي والمعلومات الموثوقة لا سيّما وسط المجموعات الديمغرافية الأصغر سنًا التي يكون من الصعب الوصول إليها عبر الوسائل التقليدية.   

The influencers' quick mobilization was possible because they have been part of Finland’s emergency contingency plans for nearly two years. Social media influencers were added to the pool of essential actors a year and a half ago, after the media section of the national emergency supply organization realized traditional media would not be enough to reach the whole nation in a crisis. Finland's small population, under 5.5 million, helps spread the messages given that any influencer with 5,000 followers or more is capable of delivering the required information quickly and effectively. Another factor that greatly supported the initiative was the streamlined management methodology of the Finnish government, which does not require prolonged official procedures.

This initiative was supervised by a number of stakeholders, including 34-year-old Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, PING Helsinki, a social media consultancy, and Mediapool, a network of media companies. The Prime Minister ensures that safe and healthy procedures are in place, while PING Helsinki edits the government’s messages into a social media-friendly format, and sends it to its networks of some 1,500 influencers who perform this task free of charge.

Moreover, the Finnish government published a list of social media does and don’ts during the coronavirus crisis, as part of its efforts to tackle false information, including recommendations such as stop and think before sharing, review content critically, distinguish fact from opinion, check facts, and never share false information.

Resources: 1

Subscribe to Ibtekr to stay updated on the latest government initiatives, courses, tools and innovations
Register Now
Subscribe to the Ibtekr's mailing list | every week
Innovators Mailing List
We share with more than 20,000 innovators weekly newsletter that monitors global innovations from all over the world
Subscription Form (en)
More from Ibtekr

How data dashboards are adding accountability to public safety

To establish transparency and accountability, American cities have begun launching electronic data dashboards that collect all information about crimes, the performance of law enforcement agencies, and make facts available to their citizens to keep them informed of the work progress and make them part of the decision-making process.

 · · 13 November 2023

AI and drone tech help local governments in road maintenance

Because the quality of roads is a major factor in the safety of their users, several countries, such as the United Kingdom and Lithuania, have started using advanced technologies to make road inspections and maintenance easier and more efficient. Drones, artificial intelligence, sensors, and modern high-resolution cameras that can cover hundreds of thousands of kilometres and reach where humans fail are the most prominent of these technologies.

 · · 13 November 2023

Tax authorities use AI powered tools to assess property

To improve property assessment and control related violations, as well as reduce attempts to evade paying full tax fees, local authorities in various European and American cities and towns have resorted to the use of aerial imagery supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning and other modern technologies to inspect and evaluate properties, and then impose appropriate tax fees on their owners.

 · · 13 November 2023

Indonesia makes health data available at one’s fingertips

Following the footsteps of other countries' successful digital experiences, Indonesia is working to create a unified electronic medical record system that includes individual health history, and allows information to be easily shared between health facilities, referenced and updated at any time.

 · · 1 November 2023

One-Stop-Shop: Citizens-centred focus to digital government services

Cities around the world are joining the race to digitize public services. A trend, which has recently emerged to enable people to document and conduct major events and transactions in their lives remotely through digital platforms that bring together several government services via a single portal such as in the United States and Singapore.

 · · 1 November 2023
1 2 3 76
magnifiercrossmenuchevron-down