High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
Digital Democracy
Empowering Civic Engagement Through Digital Technologies
Armenia Research 2009
Phones available to youth in village
Digital Democracy
E
mpowering Civic Engagement Through Digital Technologies
Opportunities for civic engagement in Armenia
Why We Went
In April and December 2009,Digital Democracyinvestigated how newtechnology is being used toamplify the voices ofArmenian citizens. Our goalwas to assess internet andmedia accessibility issuesand determine howtechnology tools can beleveraged to increase civicengagement and develop ahealthier dialogue with thegovernment on solutions forthe future of the country.The focus points of ourresearch were
freedom of expression, access to diverseinformation, and the role of media and social networking.
Digital Democracy
is a non-profit organization based in New York city that works globally to empowermarginalized communities. Working directly with grassroots organizations and technology groups, we build theircapacity and raise their profiles. Emphasizing the need for new media literacy, we prepare communities with thetools they need to be informed and engaged citizens in the 21
st
century.
New Potential
What We DidCountry Snapshot
!
Armenia is a country with over 3 million people inthe Southern Caucasus, situated between Russia,Turkey and Iran.Having gainedindependence fromthe Soviet Union in1991, it is now anemerging democracy.Recent consolidationof power amonggoverning elites andoligarchs hasincreased tensions,culminating in aviolent demonstrationon March 1, 2008 thatleft 8 dead and 130 injured after post-electionviolence broke out in the capital.The current media landscape in Armenia isexpanding, but according to interviewees, televisioncontinues to be predominately controlled by theruling parties and the quality of programming islacking. One interviewee stated that "havingcommercials on public media channels is basicallypaying to the campaign of the government."Newspapers are more varied but only on two sides- pro government or pro-opposition. Radio is undersoft control, with alternative stations available butlimited freedoms. Internet use is not censored butduring the 2008 protest events, it was temporarilyclosed.
ArmeniaA park in Yerevan advertises free wifiinternet access
Digital Democracy
What We Learned
Technical Capacity
Computers
Computers have been placed in schools, thoughmany have fallen into disrepair under governmentmanagement. Community centers exist in majorcities and in some villages.
Internet
Computers do not have reliable internet connectivity.This is starting to change with the proliferation ofinternet cafes and the development of a new WiMaxinfrastructure, which now offers fast internet outsideof Yerevan for the first time. Free wireless isavailable in some cafes that are expensive by localstandards. In the public Lovers
ʼ
Park in Yerevanthere is a wifi node supported by a DiasporanFoundation. Access in April was about 600 users permonth, 100 unique, mostly via mobile phones.
E
mpowering Civic Engagement Through Digital Technologies
Armenian Bloggers Club FlyerFirst meeting of Armeniapedia,a local Wikipedia
What We Did
New Media Profiles
Digital Democracy
conducted interviews
andfilmed videos documenting the stories of young civicleaders, bloggers, activists, and community-basedorganizations for first-hand and up-to-date accountsof the current situation.
Community Interviews
Digital Democracy met with Community BasedOrganizations for a
community needs analysis
.Topics ranged from civil society, political organizing,technology access & use. Questions focused onaccess to
alternative content
, levels of
new medialiteracy
,
technical capacity
, and
media freedom
.
BarCamp Yerevan
Digital Democracy participated in the first “un”-conference in the Caucasus, presenting onGovernment 2.0 and on human rights & technology.
Add a Comment