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citizen participation in governance
citizen participation in governance
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The revolution in information and communication technologies has been changing not only the daily lives of people but also the interactions between governments and citizens. The digital government or electronic government (e-government) has started as a new form of public organization that supports and redefines the existing and new information, communication and transaction-related interactions with stakeholders (e.g., citizens and businesses), especially through the Internet and Web technologies, with the purpose of improving government performance and processes (Bekkers & Hornsburg, 2005). Social media has become a central part of how people interact with friends, colleagues and communities.
While this initial stance kept politicians on the defensive, enough time has passed that individual politicians and even entire governments are starting to use social media to connect with their communities in new, open ways (Sniderman, 2011). However, as these social platforms are becoming more pervasive in society, studies of their influence on our lives has grown but have not kept pace with the use in government. Because social media is a relatively recent phenomenon, research on social media use in government is limited. Literature on the effectiveness of social media and government has increased but only in some areas. The purpose of this review is to understand governance through citizen engagement and provide a working context of the term social media. The literature review will provide a basis for what is known about the use of social media by government, in particular at the local level.
Citizen Engagement
Community engagement is now a priority in many public sector agencies. Besides appealing to democratic principles, citize...
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...ation, or more efficient government management (worldbank.org, n.d). E-government [2] that describe the patterns of interactions of digital governments with the public: The first stage of e-government focuses on “digital presence” with simple information-providing Web sites of a passive nature, namely a digitization of government information. The second stage provides simple Web-based interactions of governments with citizens, businesses and other government agencies through email contact and interactive forms that can dynamically provide information needed. The third stage of this evolution provides online transaction services such as license renewal, permit applications and tax payments. The next stage is when the government promotes shared governance to transform how the government operates, in terms of seamless information flow and collaborative decision making.
The purpose of this article is to persuade the reader that social media is the new alternative to mainstream big money ads for politicians. Cary’s intended audience is politicians, political campaign managers and politically engaged citizens. The tone of this article is informative but slightly opinionated. While Cary does back up her claims with notable quotes and statistics the main support for her argument is her professional opinion. Cary was formerly the
One of the properties that allow social media to be an attractive tool to use by politicians is the ability to attract a massive audience of users. The Pew Research Center suggests that there is a growing number of social media users. A whooping 73% of US adults use the internet (Social Networking Fact Sheet). These...
Bélanger, F. (2009). The Impact of the Digital Divide On E-Government Use. Communications Of The ACM, 52(4), 132-135.
The news media and social media affect and influence the political world. The political arena can now be easily accessed through every citizen’s smartphone screens and tablet screens. For instance, Barack Obama became the country’s most Instagrammer-in-Chief (Carr). Obama utilized social media to promote his climate agenda while on his trip to Alaska. He would snap pictures of the landscape and share the pictures on his social media accounts which earned him more than thousands of likes. The media and its political connections play a huge scene in this topic of influence. Since the election of 2008, Obama utilized Facebook to connect with the public (Carr). This year’s 2016 Presidential candidates have been using social media to connect with the public. The media interprets and impact discussions made by the public and its candidates, as well as polling and voting. Obama has paved the path since 2008 in using social media to connect with the public, and Obama has been a pacesetting in this year’s presidential candidates. For example, Senator Ted Cruz often appears on Periscope, Marco Rubio snap videos and pictures on Snapchat at stops along his
With the proliferation and ubiquity of social media technology, more criminal justice educators and professionals need to have an adequate understanding of how to use it for their benefit. Social media and government was first viewed as a way to push news updates or relevant issues in a community to citizens, but that is only one component of the many emerging benefits in social media. One year ago, John Dale of the Boston Police Department described the benefits of embracing Twitter as an early warning system:
The internet has become one of the most important factors in how we live in today’s society. Social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are attracting attention and popularity. Social media has create a place for us to connect and network from any place at any time. The growth and expansion of social media is having an impact on more than just the youth but the older generations as well. Older people are coming to learn how to use computer to keep in touch with family members far away and younger people are using it to express themselves. It has become so present in our daily routines to use social media for many purposes. The article “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”, argues that there is a different in the way
Presently, two hundred million users send upward of 140 million messages per day, 140-character musings studded with misspellings, slang, and abbreviations. Moreover, it includes harsh truths, memes and also lies. But it has become the most important public sphere for a global, inclusive audience. Therefore, social media sphere like twitter that has often been discredited or not valued as real public engagement has actually transformed itself into the most global, inclusive public sphere where the public is able to engage — whether truthfully or not — and to become more aware and reflective. The public informs the state and especially in a situation where the public is as polarized as in the case of the 2016 American elections, social media especially twitter can be a tool by which the public can still engage with each other to be better
The most recent definition of public relations, according to the Public Relations Society of America (2012), states that “Public Relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Through the rapid advancement of modern media and technology, there have never been more outlets and opportunities available for accomplishing the goals of public relations. Believing the development of social media has not created serious changes in the way public relations practitioners go about their duties would be foolish and a fast track to falling behind in this rapid world of communication. The main goals of public relations are “to create, maintain, and protect the organization’s reputation, enhance its prestige and present a favorable image,” as defined by Inc. Magazine’s online encyclopedia. Fundamentally, it is not the goals of public relations that have changed with social media, but it is the means of accomplishing these goals that is dramatically changing.
The report focuses on the attitudes of society regarding social media, and the impacts that social media may bring about as a consequence of the attitudes, in respect to individuals, commerce, and government management.
To achieve civic engagement is undertaken in many diverse ways. These are determined by several factors, amongst them the purpose of the civic engagement, the people involved in it, the funds to be involved amongst others. The...
In today’s world, the media almost dominates society. No matter a station’s political affiliation or the conglomerates’ beliefs, a vast variety of topics are covered almost daily. Whether it’s breaking news, feature stories, or heart-warming cartoons, the audience is almost certain to tune into any news station and learn about what is going on in the world, and e-democracy falls under that category. When it comes to anything that concerns the government, there is going to be media coverage, especially if it involves scandal or court cases. Stories vary in importance and depth, but overall they give us insight into certain topics. CNN’s Dan Caterinicchia offered the people a look at what E-Democracy is and how a man from Minnesota lobbied to make e-democracy easier by using an e-mailing list as well as an online public forum. According to Caterinicchia (1999), Minnesota e-democracy Chairman, Steven Clift, believes that such a practice would make E-Democracy an...
Despite these criticisms, the reforms in public administration have had a widespread impact across this country and around the world. The principles underlying these reforms have enhanced government performance and accountability, public administration has employed various strategies to streamline management and enhance pubic service. It is important to keep in mind that while there may be significant improvement in productivity as a result of technological advances or reform, the most meaningful long-term gains will come about as a result of attention to the humans side of the organization. Successful public administration demands a successful balance between the concerns of the technical side of the agency and paying attention to people.
From the words of United States President Barack Obama "Call your members of Congress. Write them an email. Tweet it using the hashtag #My2K." (Coffee). Social media has played an increasing and larger part in today's government. Social media has the power to influence elections and connect the people to the policy makers in new ways.
United Nations, (2006). Unlocking the human potential for public sector performance world; public sector report 2005. United Nations: Academic foundation
In addition, social media changed the way of living and the working level of many people like organizing vacations and researching for school and university projects. With attributes that may affect the way people interact online, social media open a new ways for many newspapers, magazines to publish their issues online to promote their ideas quickly and to let the people in contact with their news and to make more productivity and make more money. Also, they can listen to any type of music, reads books, story, purchase any product, buy clothe online...