Abstract:

Traditional Indian handicrafts have been practiced for centuries in the villages of India. The intricate and exquisite products are greatly appreciated in the urban and international markets. The artisans don’t have direct access to these markets. They have to go through middlemen to get their products into these markets and in the hand of the consumers. The middlemen take most of the share or the profits leave a meager portion for the artisans. Due to these most of the artisans live below the poverty line.

The presenter has been a design activist in the traditional craft sector in India for more than ten years. Based on his belief to use social media for social good he started an innovative project. He started educating artisans about social media and helping them harness its potential to directly connect with consumers. It is helping them in selling products directly to the consumers and moving towards eliminating the middlemen. It has also exponentially leveraged word-of-mouth for the artisans and helped them expand their consumer base. The presentation will showcase a case study of this project. The audience will learn how they can use social media to optimize their web presence and directly reach and communicate with their students, consumers, donors, etc. or use it to do social good and promote social causes.

Keywords:

Social media, e-learning, international.