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The Use of Social Networking Sites in Public Administration: The Case of Slovenia

Electronic Journal of e-Government · 2017 · 39 citations · 51 references

Open access

TL;DR

Private firms use social networks for visibility and marketing, and public administrations could similarly engage users, yet data on their use remains scarce. This study analyzes Facebook usage among 112 Slovene state administration organizations. The research employed 16 indicators covering usage, engagement, multi‑channel features, and multimedia content. Only a few organizations maintain a Facebook presence, and most have significant room for improvement in reach and engagement, while a literature review of global public administration social media use is also presented.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of research aimed at analysing the usage of Facebook as the most popular social networking site among 112 Slovene state administration organizations. Private entities use social networks to enhance their visibility, interact with clients, and for (related) marketing and sales of their products and services. Social networks also represent the potential for increased interaction between public administration and its users. However, statistics on the usage of social networks in public organizations is scarce. The methodology of our research is based on 16 indicators measuring usage, engagement, multi‑channel features, and multi‑media content. The results reveal that only a few organizations have established their Facebook presence, and for most of them considerable room for improvement has been identified in terms of usage of Facebook as a social network with the highest potential of reach and engagement in the number of its users. An extensive literature review in the field of social media usage in public administrations worldwide is also provided.