Local Government Communication: Reaching out through Facebook
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4335/19.2.217-241(2021)Keywords:
regional capitals, Czech Republic, social networks, engagement, FacebookAbstract
The development of Web 2.0 technologies has led to the expansion of new technologies and services such as social media, which has become a new tool for public participation and alternative service delivery based on higher G2C (government to citizens) responsiveness. This ongoing development has caused governments to face expectations to adapt their communication channels to the changing environment of online social interactions. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate how local governments in the Czech Republic use social media in their communications with the public and the effects of these communications. To do so, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the Facebook communications of Czech regional capitals using multiple methodological approaches, including a survey, statistical analysis and an OLS model. The Facebook social networking site was chosen for this research because of its prevalent popularity over all relevant social media and the frequency of use in the Czech Republic both in general and by local governments, and because of its higher complexity of G2C interactions. The outcomes are given in the context of the relevant previous research.
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