New methods for spreading information during the non-violent velvet revolution were discovered. One of them was Telegram, where the channel Infocom was positioned. The creators said that during the days of the revolution, more than ever there was a need for alternative news, since in the field of media, the passion regarding the government and opposition was hot. It was an information war with all its rules.

Sevak Mamyan is one of Infocom’s co-authors. There were discussions about having such a platform months ago, however he admits that due to a lack of motivation, the idea was implemented slightly later than planned.

“For a long time it was not clear to me as to why Telegram is not a successful tool in Armenia for spreading information. Not understanding the reasons but being inspired by the wave of success in other countries, on April 18, we began our activities,” said Sevak.  

In his opinion, there has always been a need for a useful information platform for civic activism, because people have a difficult time making up their minds when under the constant flow of information.

“The political situation, in which the idea came to life, was the biggest motivation, since during the days of the revolution, news outlets often spread manipulation. They affected the situation, and it was necessary to think of a new way of spreading information,” he said.

The “main platform” of the revolution was called upon to create and to self-organize in different spheres. After the call, the youth were excited and created an “information committee” which appeared in the name of the Telegram channel.

They started with a small team, focusing on breaking news. Sevak admits that there were a few cases where as a result of rushing they spread misinformation. He is convinced that Infocom followers approached the incidents with understanding, “they responded quickly and informed us that the information we had spread was wrong. Of course, this was a problem, we should have disseminated information only after having checked it.”

According to our interlocutor, the advantage of Telegram is that it allows you to spread information under conditions of weak internet. During the revolution, crowded places, especially the Republic Square, had issues with connections, but Infocom’s team was able to work from the scene.

“You can say that Infocom’s participation during those days were second only to live broadcasts. The information is mainly distributed in Armenian, and the most important events of the day are also posted in English and Russian. We actively use Twitter and Facebook,” notes the platform’s co-author.

Everyone involved in the work are volunteers, however in the near future we aim to come up with a different format, as well as solve the problem of financing. Though the team welcomes the option of self-financing most of all.

At this moment, the platform has about 11 thousand 200 followers.

Gayane Asryan