%0 Journal Article
%T The role of social media in supporting social innovation
%A Raczyńska, Ewa
%A Swałek, Aleksandra
%J Media Management
%V 2023
%R 10.4467/23540214ZM.23.022.20053
%N Vol. 11, Issue 4
%P 315-326
%K social innovation, social media, TikTok, case study
%D 2024
%U https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/zarzadzanie-mediami/article/rola-mediow-spolecznosciowych-we-wspieraniu-innowacji-spolecznych
%X Social innovations allow for the improvement of society’s quality of life or a selected social group by implementing novel solutions addressing the specific issues faced by that group. Despite originating in the 1990s, this is still a relatively new concept. Promoting social innovations can take various forms, such as through social media. Consequently, questions arise regarding how social media can support social mobilization and idea exchange, as well as how they contribute to solving social problems. The aim of this article is to identify the role of social media in the process of social innovation. In pursuit of answers to these questions and to achieve this goal, a literature analysis was conducted, followed by qualitative case studies of designing and testing a social innovation that incorporated social media as a tool to promote knowledge about assisting blind and visually impaired individuals in public communication. The article specifically focuses on TikTok, describing its characteristics, applications in education, and target audience. The conclusions presented indicate that social media play a significant role in the lives of Polish youth. TikTok, being one of the most popular platforms among a portion of Generation Z, has 10.6 million users in Poland, ranking third after Facebook and Instagram. Despite sparking numerous controversies, TikTok should be utilized to promote the correct attitude among youth. Thanks to its attractive content delivery format and ease of video editing, it is accessible to a wide range of creators and audiences.