A presentation made at Social Capital World Forum 30 Nov - 2 Dec.

2. Online interaction – possibilities
and obstacles when working
with young people.
JOINA a project with focus on youth
organizations and the use of social media.
Marita Isaksson project manager JOINA and
freelance organization consult.

3. The project
Kontaktnätet 2011-2012
Marita Isaksson

4. Economy
With support from The Swedish National
Board for Youth Affairs.
Marita Isaksson

5. Target group
National organizations working with youth
and their regional and local membership
organizations.
Marita Isaksson

6. Main themes
• Communication
• Knowledge
• Marketing
Marita Isaksson

7. Goal
• Identify new ways to network and
answer the questions: Where? When?
and How?
• Explore needs, possibilities and
obstacles.
• Gather and present inspiring examples.
Marita Isaksson

8. The process
• Live-broadcasted panel-discussions
• Internet-surveys
• Interviews
• Report and inspiration
Marita Isaksson

9. The questions
some of them …
• What is social media?
• Positive? Negative?
• Risks, threats?
• Who is an organization in social media?
• Does social media promote democratic
structures?
• Is social media accessible?
• Is social media: Inclusive? Exclusive?
• Stress?
Marita Isaksson

10. The Answers
some of them …

11. On the positive side
• Direct contact
• Simple and easy
• Statistics
• Fast and effective
• Interaction
• Visibility creates attention
• Multifunctional
Marita Isaksson

12. On the negative side
• Impersonal
• Repetitive
• To much competition.
• Subjective
• Everything is available.
• Stressful
• Lost in the crowd
• Superficial
• Surveillance
Marita Isaksson

13. The identity of the organization
• The organization is both “we” and “I”
depending on the media and interaction.
Facebook is we but Twitter tends to move
towards “I”
Marita Isaksson

14. Democratic structures
• Yes and no. Both examples where social
media and interaction online can promote
democratic structures and where they work
the opposite way are available. The core is
how they are used. And there tend to be
some self-regulation.
Marita Isaksson

15. Accessible and inclusive?
• Most people in Sweden have access to
internet, at home, in school or in public
places (eg libraries).
• Increased communication.
• Decrease in meetings in real life.
• Easy to join a discussion and find
networks.
• Cognition can be a hindrance as well as
mobility.
• Surveys (made by .SE) conclude that half of
the Swedish citizens do not feel included in
todays information and digital society.
Marita Isaksson

16. StressFactors
• Hard to make the right choice, regarding
media.
• To much to choose from.
• The need to learn to filter the information.
• Rumors, stalking, lies, fake accounts.
• The risk of having your account hacked and
hijacked.
Marita Isaksson

17. The respondents were active primarily on
Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, SoundCloud
and Dayviews. They also mentioned Google+,
YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Flickr,
SlideShare, Bambuser, Vimeo, Blip.tv, Picasa
and Wikipedia.
Marita Isaksson

18. The Insights
some of them …
Social media and online interaction are great
tools but … there are some major
disadvantages.
Marita Isaksson

19. On the plus-side …
• Everyone is there.
• Quick and easy way to get your message
out.
• Networking, communicating.
• Cost-effective – for free!
• Possibility to act fast and spread the word.
• Improved visibility.
Marita Isaksson

20. On the minus-side
• Stress – a feeling that you must be online
24-7.
• Promises made online don’t count in real
life.
• To build a vivid organization you need to
meet people face-to-face.
• For real involvement, commitment and
participation social media and online
interaction is not enough/not suitable.
Marita Isaksson

21. conclusion
• Online interaction is brilliant. It can be of
great help and support. But to meet in
person is still the thing. When you meet
you bond, establish a solid connections and
visions. This is essential for a well-
functioning organization.
• To network online and with the help from
social media is useful in an initial phase
and to nurture already established
connections.
Marita Isaksson

22. • Keep in mind that not everyone is online,
can be online or wants to be online. Don’t
forget to communicate, interact, involve
and to keep in contact with them.
• Make online communication and
information accessible and including.
• Plan your digital presence in order to avoid
stress and to be overwhelmed with must-
do.
Marita Isaksson

23. The future
Kontaktnätet are today using Facebook and
in a few weeks we will present a new website.
The intern communicating is kept active with
the help of GoogleDocs. The organization is
also using SlideShare and has tested vloging.
Marita is working on a master-thesis in
philosophy exploring personal identity in
digital environments.
Marita Isaksson

24. Thank You!
Hope to see you soon again.
Marita Isaksson
marita_isaksson@hotmail.com
@MaritaIsak
www.kontaktnatet.se
Marita Isaksson