A Research Of Social Media Application In Local NGO Of Sichuan Area

As more and more local non-governmental organizations are emerging in mainlandChina, and many of them start using social media as their ways to gain publicity, itmakes “do the deeds without a word” an obsolete thinking pattern. Before theprevalence of social media, the relation between local non-governmental organizationsand traditional media had been more and more fossilized and as a result, it was difficultfor local non-governmental organizations to have their information well communicated.Knowing that many non-governmental organizations from abroad successfully promotethemselves by applying social media, more and more local non-governmentalorganizations expect to tap new ways of communication by the application of socialmedia in order to have their messages fully delivered to their audience. Therefore, theemergence of social media brings both opportunity and challenge to our localnon-governmental organizations.The thesis is based on a case study of non-governmental organizations in Sichuanarea by means of questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews. It aims to investigatehow local non-governmental organizations apply social media and how effective theapplication turns out; it further explores characteristics of methods and effects of socialmedia application of local non-governmental organizations. Based on those results ofthe study, I conclude factors that influence the effect of social media application andcome up with corresponding solutions.It is found in the research of social media application in local non-governmentalorganizations in Sichuan area that all of them are adopting social media to publicizetheir events, and most of them even have dedicated staffs responsible for their socialmedia communication alone. Most of the local non-governmental organizations havebeen working with social media for1~2years or over2years with a relatively highupdate frequency. Most of them update their information daily. Apart from that, it isalso found in the research that Sichuan local non-governmental organizations payspecial attention to their use of Sina Weibo which can be noted by high frequency ofuse. Three representative non-governmental organizations are chosen from Sichuan local non-governmental organizations to study their expected goals and effect of socialmedia application and to investigate their audiences. It is discovered that although thosethree local non-governmental organizations are using the same social media, theireffects are turned out differently.From perspectives of the non-governmental organizations own conditions, mediaand audience, the author analyses affecting factors of local non-governmentalorganizations social media application effects. Seen from non-governmentalorganizations own conditions, communication motivation and target as well as what andhow to communicate are all affecting factors to its effects; from the aspect of media,their lack of credibility as well as emergent and instantaneous property of informationare the influencing factors; in terms of audience, their cognitive psychological effect isaffecting the results.