Truth Commission in Colombia and its digital strategy 2019-2022: The use of social media in peacebuilding

Abstract

Operating in a context marked by political and media hostility as well as the continuation of the armed conflict, the Truth Commission in Colombia (Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition, hereinafter TCC) faced an additional challenge that is unique to today’s time: the challenge of operating in a context where social media and digital communication are essential aspects of communicating and influencing. This trend heightened with the COVID-19 pandemic when digital communication became even more widespread than before. This, and the influence that digital communication and social media can have on young people, made the digital strategy a key component of the TCC’s communication general strategy. This article presents and analyzes the digital strategy that the TCC implemented during its mandate (2019-2022) to communicate its processes and products. The TCC’s digital strategy was a key tool for peace building as it enabled the TCC to establish its legitimacy and prepare a divided society for the delivery of the commission’s final report and recommendations.