Resultados

NGOs have adopted numerous different kinds of media, each used to target particular audiences and to serve specific aims or goals. Publicity was cited as one of the main reasons for using the media; with five NGOs saying that they use local television and newspapers as a channel for posting their news. Traditional forms of media are understood in this study to include television, radio and newspapers, and these were used by the NGOs in the study in the following ways. NGO 1 (a youth empowerment NGO) invited the press media to cover their annual conferences, providing a lot of publicity for them. However, as the manager explained, they cannot control the content of the press media, and this was expressed as a concern. Publicity was also the main target sought by NGO 5 (a conservative women’s empowerment organisation), with the manager explaining that they use newspapers to reach out to officials or to let officials and sponsors know about their activities in order to attract people and funds. NGO 2 (charity housing) briefly mentioned that they use newspapers to post their news. For all these NGOs, getting their events covered by the press is attractive as it brings them more publicity and gains the attention of officials.

The media has also been used by NGOs as a tool for enabling them to communicate with clients, sponsors, donors, volunteers and the public. The media provides many tools that can be utilised according to different needs, and many NGOs discuss the importance of reaching out to others using both traditional and social media. One kind of communication tool that was identified as effective for reaching clients was the use of the mobile phone text SMS service. As expected, because NGOs 6 and 7 are traditional religious NGOs with many older clients, they use the reachable SMS. They have found that sending messages to their regular clients via mobile phone is useful and effective for communicating with them and attracting their attention. As the manager of NGO 6 explains:

I always rely on Phone SMS to inform people about human cases that would evoke deep emotional reactions, because the messages have a deeper impact, targeting mostly older age groups, these direct messages have more impact. I send messages asking about how they have been and if I have a case that needs support, or to invite them for an event. (Female, 50s, Aid relief)

This manager thus mentions three purposes for using texting: to keep in touch, to generate funds and to invite guests to their events. This NGO attracts funds and attention by presenting passionately described cases that tell the stories of disadvantaged women, and the manager notes how effective this strategy is, claiming that it yields immediate responses from the NGO’s regular older clients. Here the reason for using text messaging is not only to keep in ongoing contact with regular clients, but also to persuade people to act and to be involved in their cause, which builds the NGO’s network and provides access and opportunities. This was mentioned by James Weidman (2003) in his discussion of media relations in NGOs, which talked about the NGO strategy of humanising ideas by providing an emotive case or telling a passionate story in order to “engage the mind and imagination

of the reader” (Weidman, 2003:248). Randall and Harms (2012) agree with Weidman (2003) that using stories that “win both the listeners’ hearts and minds are critical communication tools” for NGOs to employ, and are thus considered by NGOs to provide a strategy for persuading audiences (Randall and Harms 2012:21). Similar to NGO 6 are both NGO 7 (an old and traditional organisation) and NGO 11 (a conservative women’s empowerment group), who each mentioned that they use phone texts to communicate with clients when both managers and clients are from the older generation, who prefer traditional direct messages. However, NGO 1 (a youth empowerment NGO) offered a different explanation for their use of SMS:

We advertise but we found that many mothers do not use social media except for mothers between 25 – 35. They have Facebook accounts, so when mothers are older than that, we send text messages with a professional and respectful tone. (Female, 30, youth empowerment)

In support of the above argument that phone texts are more commonly used with older clients, this NGO stressed the fact that they texted older groups of clients instead of using social media sites to communicate with them. Thus, there are still a large group of people from older generations that prefer to be contacted by phone texts because they do not (regularly) use social media platforms. Consequently, NGO 1 selected the most appropriate media tool for each particular target group. In other words, they choose media tools carefully according to the target they are addressing. However, NGOs face challenges in their attempts to attract both mothers and their children, as each has different interests and in return will be attracted by a different media tool. The approach that this NGO has

adopted for selecting the appropriate tool for the target is well-planned and in-line with the audience’s way of thinking.

As indicated above, NGO 1 has used social media to attract people. The manager of NGO 1 (Female, 30s) explained their use of both traditional and social media in detail. When targeting children, they use social media like Facebook and YouTube, utilising colourful and trendy ads with English words, whereas for official and public gatherings, they use scientific, academic language. However, the manager explained that they are changing their tactics for attracting their audiences, using more Arabic and less English in order to teach children the importance of maintaining their identities.

One of our strategies during the first three years was to be cool with English titles, have fun, and not to appear very strict. So we used to use English more. But now, after we [have] become well known and we [have] already caught the attention of a large audience, we want to go back to our identity by using Arabic more.

(Female, 30, youth empowerment)

This manager was very clear about her NGO’s reasons for using social media, and more specific about the content of it. This NGO pays attention to the smallest details of their page layout on social media sites, with the wording and the language used being tailored to the audience that will be interacting with their messages. Also, when communicating with children, they consider what mothers would think and make sure that they avoid to include any religious messages that will make them appear “strict”. Interestingly, this NGO has already changed the content they use through social media sites to attract their audiences. As part of what the manager called their ‘strategy’, they began slowly changing

their content to one that seeks to maintain the identity of modest Islamic society after gaining their popularity. Seo et al. (2009) argued that NGOs carefully consider what type of new media to use according to the function it serves, and whether they are directly targeting the public on specific issues or indirectly approaching the mass media to affect public opinion.

Moreover, both NGO 2 (social surveyors) and NGO 11 (a conservative women’s empowerment group) are also using social media, reporting that “we have Facebook and Twitter accounts” when asked about their NGOs’ uses of social media, but without any further elaboration. NGO 1 (a youth empowerment group), NGO 3 (an elderly charity), NGO 5 (a conservative women’s empowerment group) and NGO 8 (a women’s empowerment group) all clearly stated that they use social media sites to attract the younger generations. For example, the manager of NGO 3 explained that the social media enables them to attract and communicate with young volunteers. As noted earlier in chapter six, the manager (Female, 30s) commented, “We could attract … them through social media later for recruitment and participation”. She also acknowledged that attracting an audience through social media makes it easy for them to communicate and recruit from this pool for future events, as they will then be part of their communication list of possible volunteers. Furthermore, NGO 4 (a Facebook-based group) uses social media exclusively to communicate and interact with its volunteers. The manager of this NGO mentioned that they use Facebook as the basis for their interactions, and Twitter for their daily activities with volunteers. As the manager said, “Facebook is very easy for communication and to be clear about what we are doing in front of the government.” Mentioning the government in this instance was odd, as they are conscious about the possibility of the government monitoring their posts on social media. In fact, as Agarwal et al. (2012) argue, “social

media sites are attractive places and two way channels to gather information not only about the citizen but also for citizens to gather information about the government” (Agarwal et al. 2012:99).

Similarly to NGO 1, NGO 4 exclusively uses English language in its posts, and when asked why the male manager replied: “[we communicate] in English because it is easier, and because there are also other nationalities involved.” In fact, their reason for using English was not only that they have a multinational target audience that they want to involve, but also that they want to exclude more conservative audiences, who do not use English. As the manager (male, 30s) said: “You know, at first, English was really easier for us, but now it is becoming more of a strategy.” Here, the language has become a gateway and an access to a territory where the people who are not comfortable using English are the people with whom engagement is not sought. This NGO has purposefully narrowed their target audience to attract not only the younger generation, but also a more open-minded, educated, English-speaking group.

Both NGOs 1 and 4 used the word ‘strategy’ to describe their employment of the English language for their communication, and also displayed an awareness of the importance of the social media content they are presenting, and the type of audience receiving it. Interestingly, they demonstrated an awareness that using English was an explicit ‘strategy’ that they had adopted. Remarkably, they both agreed to use the term ‘strategy’ to describe the use of English in their media communication because the use of English attracts moderate, trendy, multinational and open-minded target groups. However, the purposes for which NGOs 1 and 4 use English differ, with NGO 1 using it to attract younger audiences and to be perceived as a ‘trendy’ NGO, whilst NGO 4 uses it to attract a moderate audience and exclude a more conservative one. Evidently, the content of media matters by presenting

certain image that will likely influences audience and eventually evokes particular outcomes.