Contact: Jigme Choden                                                                                                        For immediate release

Phone: 327903                                                                                                                    Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Mobile: 17421007

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Social Media and Democracy

Empowerment with Accountability

Royal Thimphu College, Thimphu – Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy in collaboration with the Royal Thimphu College is organising a forum on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (Wednesday, May 4 at RTC from 2.30 pm – 4.30 pm). The forum is an attempt to understand the role of social media in Bhutan as an effective means to inform and engage the public. This year’s theme 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers is a very apt theme considering Bhutan’s current situation as more citizens are engaging in discussions through social networking sites.

Our forum will focus on the theme: Social Media and Democracy – empowerment with accountability. Here we will consider why civility rules are necessary, what are the constraints of speaking up online in Bhutanese society, what youth think we can do to promote a healthy use of social media?

While acknowledging new possibilities in providing the space for sharing of views and information, we will look at the many challenges that social media pose.

These include:

• How to promote Internet and social networks as platforms for democratic discussion and civic participation?

• How to empower bloggers and individual users in content production and meaningful participation to improve citizens’ access to information and exchange of ideas?

• How to enhance media and information literacy of audiences; how to help them learn to find the information they need and critically evaluate that information?

The forum will consist of moderators from some of the most prominent Facebook pages, online forums and blogs in Bhutan. During the forum, panelists will discuss the importance of social media in empowering Bhutanese citizenry to engage in discourses of importance yet maintaining online etiquette.

Panelists:

• Dasho Sangay Khandu, National Council member

• Chencho Tshering, Webmaster, Kuenselonline

• Tenzing Lamsang, Journalist, Business Bhutan

• Kinley Tshering, moderator of a facebook site

We believe that the forum will enable our youth, the most active users, to explore social media as it gains prominence and to understand the possibilities and the challenges. We know it will inspire them to think more deeply about how to use social media to talk about youth and democracy, economics, society, culture and environment and ultimately to become more informed and active citizens.

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For further information call 327903 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or call Jason Hopper, RTC faculty member, 17583685