This workshop explores the use and potential of social media. It will identify areas where common EU action on social media would benefit employability, jobs and growth. It will address the three perspectives of the social media economy: businesses, web entrepreneurship with job creation potential and public sector.

Social media is impacting business and public services in the workplace - in internal processes and in external interaction with customers. Its use is becoming a strategic choice for an increasing number of organisations. Social networks platforms are increasingly becoming part of many user-facing applications.

Social media platforms allow the emergence of a new type of entrepreneurs (apptrepreneurs) to develop apps and use marketing, payment and security features offered by the platform provider.

Social media enables more direct citizen and stakeholder involvement and promises more efficient delivery of public services.

These factors have the potential to create new jobs and economic growth particularly amongst unemployed youth and graduates. Facebook’s economic impact is worth an estimated £12.7bn to the EU and Switzerland, supporting over 232,000 jobs (Deloitte, 2012).

Join the discussion, provide your comments, and feel free to launch new themes that you feel should be discussed at the Assembly.

Moderator: Elena Donnari

Hashtag: #da12social