The presentation explores the digital dimension of Ukrainians protests Euromaidan and the digital challenges for Ukrainian non-profits and news organizations

1. Ukraine in Transit: From Digital Resistance to Digital
Renaissance
Vitaliy Moroz, Internews Ukraine
vitaliy.moroz@gmail.com
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2. Introduction. How do we see the Internet?
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3. Internet Optimists vs Internet Pessimists
Dan Gillmor We the media,
2005
Evgeny Morozov, The Net
Delusion, 2011
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4. Ukraine: Internet as an island of freedom
• How the Yanukovych government did perceive the Internet?
• How the Internet has been developing in Ukraine. Diverse market. Cheap
access, Traditions of civic oversight of the government’s activities;
• Skilled professionals. Ukraine is a world’s player in IT market - $3.3 billion;
• 20 million users (almost 50% of population), majority users live in urban area
(100,000+);
• January 16 legislation against civil society and Internet freedom.
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5. The role of social networks during Euromaidan
• Twitter - effective during elections and protests for journalists and
international community. #26 most popular site in Ukraine as of May 2014
(Alexa.com)
• Vkontakte - #1 social network in Ukraine (at least 10 million users). Mostly
entertainment, but...
• Facebook - a public sphere of Ukrainian civil society. #7 most popular site in
Ukraine as of May 2014 (Alexa.com). 60,4% of Facebook users in Ukraine
aged 18-34 years old.
• The role of social media: informing, mobilization, coordination, agenda setting
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6. Map of rallies to support UA - new technologies
implied since the first days of the protests
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7. Online streaming + hashtags - new technologies
implied since the first days of the protests
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8. Mapping the location of protests - new
technologies implied since the first days of protests
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9. Mapping protesters’ needs - new technologies
implied since the first days of the protests
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10. The use of Twitter during the protests:
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11. FB: Євромайдан SOS - providing assistance to
those victimized during the protests - 98,000 fans
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12. Євромайдан SOS - peaking during the most
dramatic events of Euromaidan
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13. Євромайдан SOS - up to 700,000 users
interactions/engagements
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14. Challenges for Ukrainian media and non-profits,
opportunities and suggestions
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15. Threats: internal vs external
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16. Digital challenges for
non-profits in Ukraine
• Lack of knowledge about the
Internet, digital instruments and
cyber security;
• Not enough funds to sustain
IT-specialists in staff;
• A tradition of ignorance of
digital threats;
• Not enough funds to work with
soft under licenses
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17. Digital challenges for
media organizations
• Lack of knowledge about cyber
security;
• A tradition of ignorance of digital
threats;
• Vulnerability to cyber attacks;
• Journalists resist multi tasking
(acquiring skills beyond reporting)
• Online: Trolling and anonymity
• Huge informational flow, more
mistakes
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18. Manipulation through social media - creating fake
profiles
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19. Manipulation through social media - creating
misleading profiles
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20. Bots and trolls attacking newspapers and
accounts of politicians
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21. What can be done for UA civil society and media
organizations to meet new challenges?
• Providing IT-consultancy services for non-profits and media organizations
(assistance in launching a site, ongoing support);
• Targeted consultancy for regional media organizations (media audit, redesign
of site, strategy for online, advices in cyber security);
• Providing free hosting for non-profits;
• Seed funding: supporting innovative initiatives with micro-grants;
• Supporting research in digital transformations and lessons learned of the
Internet use;
• Supporting translations in Ukrainian/Russian in cyber security issues;
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22. What can be done for UA civil society and media
organizations to meet new challenges?
• Supporting government accountability projects (ongoing monitoring of
corruption, budget expenditures);
• Education in journalism standards and online journalism targeting young
generations;
• Expanding the space for innovations - by holding barcamps, hackathons;
• Bringing expertise of best Western technology practices to Ukraine (guest
speakers, lectors, CEO);
• Exchange visits, scholarships for Ukrainian media activists (conferences -
TheNextWeb, Picnic Amsterdam, LeWeb Paris).
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23. Vitaliy Moroz,
Internews Ukraine
vitaliy.moroz@gmail.com
@vitaliymoroz
Thank you!
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