Social media plays key role in promoting national identity, Uzbek official says

Social media is crucial for conveying national identity, Tohir Umarov, head of the Content Production Department for Media at the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, said at the Media Forum of the Turkic States Organization held in Baku, Report informs.

He stressed the importance of identifying target audiences when creating national content.

"Social media opens great opportunities for experience sharing. We have organized press tours, sent our journalists to Azerbaijan and other countries, and hosted foreign journalists in Uzbekistan," Umarov said.

He noted that tourists and bloggers, alongside journalists, also play a significant role in spreading elements of national culture through social media. However, he acknowledged that it is impossible to fully convey a country's culture.

"Today we live in a reality where information needs to be short and immediate; young people are used to formats lasting three to five seconds," he explained.

Umarov added that content about OTS member states should be widely covered not only in traditional media but across all digital platforms. This, he said, can be achieved through cooperation, bilateral exchanges, and engagement with sponsors and bloggers.