Armenian Diaspora in the Digital Era: HyeConnect as a Diaspora Portal

As we continue discussing the concept of a digital diaspora it is important to remember the physical diaspora behind it. A digital diaspora does not occur as an end in itself but rather as a means to an end, a real need or a necessity that solves an ever-standing problem. And in the case of the Armenian diaspora as well this necessity presents itself in the form of a solution to a certain problem. As we have discussed before on our blog, Armenian diasporas have been outstandingly functional within themselves since the dawn of time, however what has brought us to this disconnectedness is the lack of communication between Armenian diasporas in different countries and, of course, with the homeland. 

Armenian history and culture have been a subject for research and study in their respective departments of top universities worldwide for centuries as they are of great importance for understanding the overall humanitarian heritage. Armenian studies and programs exist nearly in every Armenian habitat, but most of them put more effort into illustrating the history of the Armenian Genocide and presenting it to the world. Only a few Armenian institutions investigate the modern diasporic trends and the general challenges that our nation faces nowadays.

To understand the severity of today’s issues and their possible solutions, online surveys have been conducted by the Armenian Institute of London in 2018- 2019 and most recently in May of 2022, which is still in process. In the article about the conclusive results of another survey conducted from 2015 to 2018 by Aleksandr Gevorkyan, the author presents the demography of the diaspora, their opinions on ways of reconnecting with the homeland, their willingness to help financially and through their expertise and so on. As respondents of the survey indicated, connectedness and collaboration with the homeland is a primary issue not only on a corporate but also on an individual level. Aside from donating finances there is also great willingness in the diaspora to directly provide personal skills, knowledge, connections and expertise to reach this mutual goal. But how to organize this? 

The article suggests implementing a technological solution, a diaspora-portal in which Armenians from the diaspora can report their interests and which will act as an environment of connection and exchange of data, knowledge and skills.  “...An active diaspora is one of the dominant forces of post-socialist change, leading in the country’s social, economic, cultural and institutional transformation…,” says Gevorkyan (2019). 

And taking over this exact premise exists HyeConnect, a defined digital diaspora platform, which is set to execute this plan in action, where all Armenians despite their background, country of residency, income flow, level of expertise, age and other factors can gather in one place and have the right tools to equality contribute to the advancement of the Armenian social, economic and many other life sectors. HyeConnect strives to serve as such a platform to foster connection and collaboration, to leverage all Armenian skill and genius and concentrate it in one place in order to reach maximum effectiveness in pursuing prosperity for our nation at large. 

By Roza Chibukhchyan - Public Relations specialist, HyeConnect