I was in the tiny Himalayan kingdom last week and the Internet was working reasonably well. Yes, even Buddhist monks are using mobile phones and engaging with the social media. It may not be too long before the Bhutanese can pray on the move thanks to apps. Happiness may acquire a "digital definition" in the near future.
The Bhutan government says it is adopting a social media policy to improve accessibility to government information and to communicate with citizens on important issues. What's particularly interesting is the official statement that the government is seeking greater participation from citizens in policy-making and social services.
And this is in a country where democracy was only recently introduced, after King Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated in December 2006, bestowing all his authority to his eldest son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The first election was held in December 2007.
Seven years later, Bhutan is embracing the social media alongside the "happiness index" - a dual challenge that will prove to be a litmus test for a country with a population of about 750,000 and sandwiched between two Asian giants, China and India.
Bhutan has launched the social media policy as part of its transition to an e-government. An official paper says: "Sharing information and working together can also lead to more collaborative civil service culture."
One benefit of arriving on the digital scene later than others is the opportunity to learn from others' mistakes. The draft of the social media policy warns citizens to be considerate in posting messages online: Never post malicious, indecent, vulgar, obscene, misleading or unfair content about others. The public is also told to avoid disclosing sensitive, private or confidential information, be it personal or otherwise.
The document suggests that businesses, civil society organisations, youth groups and other associations should develop their own social media codes to balance rights and responsibilities in using "digital space".
But how do the social media enhance Gross National Happiness?
The official guidelines deliver an interesting vision of how the technology and the pursuit of mental health could go together. In many other countries, the two don't necessarily go hand in hand. In fact, the social media have probably caused more anxiety and depression than happiness.
Bhutan seems determined to meet the challenge head-on. The guidelines call on all government agencies to use social media to give and receive information as an aid to shaping public policy and delivering public services.
"Government agencies should respond to posts [on the social media] in a timely manner and ensure quality, objectivity, utility and integrity of information and services provided to the public," the official paper says.
Instead of frowning upon its officials for "wasting time on the social media", the Bhutan government is adopting a progressive stance on this issue. The document puts it succinctly: The risk of a decrease in productivity because bureaucrats are "wasting time" on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube is not a technology issue. It's a management issue.
Civil servants are told that they can access the social media during working hours to manage the official accounts and to fulfil work-related activities through their personal accounts. But they are not allowed to use official time for personal online activities.
How should bureaucrats behave on the social media? The draft of the policy instructs them to be "respectful" and be "good listeners", as well as being responsive.
In more ways than one, Bhutan is showing Thailand how we should go about adopting an enlightened social media policy for both the government and the citizens. As a nation, we rank very high in social media engagement. But, as yet, we don't really know how to turn digital technology into a nation-building tool.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Suthichai Yoon
Quelle/Source: The Nation, 09.10.2014
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