Language, Individual & Society, Volume 17, 2023

Abstract: The phenomenon of refugee flows originates in antiquity, but in recent years the intensity of the phenomenon makes it a major issue of the 21st century. In this context, International Organizations play a key and decisive role in the management of migration flows, as well as in the implementation of support and integration policies for vulnerable groups. They also aim to inform and sensitize the citizens of the host countries worldwide. Their communication strategy aims to highlight the main problems faced by specific migration groups. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and social media, such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram are some of the media that international organizations such as the UN High Commission (UNHCR) use in their communication strategy. Over the years and since its operation the High Commissioner of the UN used different channels of communication in order to put their message across. Due to the magnitude of migration flows and the role that the UNHCR plays in Greece, the local branch was investigated. The purpose of this article is a) to explore the perceptions of people who live in Greece and the extent to which these perceptions can be influenced by the communication policy of the UN High Commission in Greece and b) to explore the communication channels that UNHCR ustilises the most and which of them has the highest impact on citizens and for which reasons. The survey was conducted with a structured questionnaire which was accessible via the internet. The questionnaire was completed by 1000 respondents. Data analysis shows that respondents believe that organisations such as UNHCR should utilize social media in order to make widely known their vision and their actions as well as in order to raise public awareness about migration. Facebook rates highest in respondents’ preferences in social media followed by Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. Additionally, respondents stated that they trust more an international organization with an active participation on social media. The research concludes that strategic communication, advertising, and dissemination of good practices are the most effective methods for transforming perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours of the citizens. The example of UNHCR - Greece using Facebook, Youtube and Twitter is common with other international organisations such as International Organization of Migration (IOM), UNICEF-Greece and other national NGOs. The results show that citizens better understand the vision and goals of the organizations but are hesitant to make online donations or participate in voluntary actions.