2010年-世界发展银行全球_Communications_as_Innovation_in_Social_Entreprise_4页_573kb

Summary of "Communications as Innovation in Social Enterprise"

Core Content

This document explores the transformative role of social media and communication technologies in the context of social enterprise, emphasizing their potential to accelerate the spread and replication of innovative ideas across borders. It highlights how these tools are reshaping the way people share, collaborate, and act on ideas, particularly in the developing world.

Main Points

• Global Communication Shift: The integration of social media and communication has fundamentally changed how ideas spread, making it easier for people in different regions to access and share information.
• Direct Knowledge Exchange: Social entrepreneurs in countries like Indonesia and Mexico can now share their ideas directly with others, bypassing traditional intermediaries such as development organizations.
• Rapid Growth of Social Media in Developing Countries:
  • Indonesia and Mexico have seen explosive growth in social media usage, with Indonesia's Facebook users increasing by 800% in a year.
  • In Africa, social networking is becoming increasingly popular, even in rural areas, driven by investments in network infrastructure.
  • Kenya, as a bellwether, shows that 85% of its internet users are involved in social networking.
• Multilingual Social Networking: The emergence of translation tools is enabling ideas to spread across languages and regions more effectively. This is critical for the international replication of social enterprise solutions.
• Impact of Translation Tools:
  • Google Translate now supports 52 languages and is used millions of times weekly.
  • Volunteer translation platforms like Global Voice's Lingua are expanding, supporting over 17 languages.
• New Ecosystems for Innovation:
  • Social media fosters "social ecosystems" that support innovation through idea-sharing, scanning, broadcasting, replication, and scaling.
  • These ecosystems are enhanced by the speed of communication, fluid exchange of ideas, and the inclusion of diverse voices.
• Crowdsourcing and Global Competitions:
  • Platforms like InnoCentive and Ashoka's Changemakers are enabling global scanning for innovative solutions.
  • Crowdsourcing is increasingly used to surface and select new proposals.
• Financial Innovation:
  • Microfinance via the internet allows individuals to support entrepreneurs worldwide.
  • Kiva has facilitated over $128 million in loans to 300,000 entrepreneurs, with 82% going to women.
  • GlobalGiving has helped over 100,000 donors contribute $28 million to 2,620 projects.
• Exponential Impact:
  • The use of communication technologies is yielding exponential returns in audience reach, dialogue, and impact.
  • The document argues that the current moment is ideal for leveraging these tools to scale innovative solutions in development.

Key Information

• Social Media Growth:
  • Indonesia: 2 million to 21 million Facebook users in one year.
  • Mexico: 300% growth in Facebook users last year.
  • Africa: Increasing use of social media in both urban and rural areas.
• Language Barriers:
  • 72% of web users speak a first language other than English.
  • Translation tools are becoming more accessible and efficient, enabling global idea exchange.
• Innovation Ecosystems:
  • Social media supports idea-sharing, collaboration, and global competition.
  • Examples include YouTube and Facebook for broadcasting, and platforms like InnoCentive and Ashoka's Changemakers for idea selection and funding.
• Investment in Infrastructure:
  • Estimated $50 billion in network infrastructure investment is expected to drive social media growth in developing countries.
• Call to Action:
  • The document encourages a bold and forward-thinking approach to utilizing social media and communication tools for the development of innovative solutions.
  • It stresses the need to invest in these new social ecosystems to maximize their impact.

Conclusion

The document concludes that the current era offers unprecedented opportunities for the spread and scaling of innovative solutions in social enterprise. With the rapid growth of social media, the availability of translation tools, and the emergence of new funding mechanisms, the world is more connected than ever. This connectivity allows for the creation of global social ecosystems that can support and accelerate innovation, making it an ideal time to invest in and leverage these tools for development.