Partisan selective following on twitter over time: polarization or depolarization?

In this study, we track the severity of partisan polarization in the following of legislators on Twitter during the initial two years of Twitter's introduction to South Korea. We examine the pattern of co-following among Twitter users following members of the 18th Korean National Assembly at three time points. We collected a complete list of all followers for each legislator and constructed their co-following network. We also supplemented our following data with survey data. This allowed us to match the same Twitter user's following behavior with their individual level attributes. Our aggregate level analysis showed that the severity of polarization in Twitter following of National Assembly members lessened from Time 1 to Time 3. We also discovered that, even when tracking only the ‘original’ followers, cross-party following has increased over time. The survey-based results reaffirm our conclusion based on the aggregate data.     

Citizens' trust in government as a function of good governance and government agency's provision of quality information on social media during COVID-19

Evidence from literature reveals that good governance practices influence citizens' attitudes and behaviours towards the government. Therefore, grounded on the good governance theory, the current study aimed to empirically examine how good governance practices promote public trust with the underlying mechanism of perceived government response on COVID-19 (PGRC) and moderating role of government agency's provision of quality information on social media (GQS). The data was collected from 491 followers of the Facebook account, Instagram, and Twitter pages of a government news agency, i.e., Associated Press of Pakistan and were analyzed using measurement and structural model by employing SmartPls 3.3.0. The results revealed a direct and indirect association of good governance practices with the public's trust in government via PGRC as mediator. Likewise, results showed that GQS interacts with PGRC and augments public trust in government. This study tried to contribute to the body of knowledge while addressing the gap related to the dearth of literature regarding government use of ICT during the COVID-19 pandemic to harvest benefits from social media while communicating with citizens on a larger scale. Moreover, the current study offers valuable practical and strategical recommendations to agencies and policymakers.     

Impacts of government website information on social sciences and humanities in China: A citation analysis

The purpose of this research is to investigate the current state and trend of government website information cited by social science and humanities (SS&H) journal articles in China. The Chinese Social Science Citation Index (CSSCI) was used as the benchmark and the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) journals as the reference samples. It analyzed 204,019 web citations (N = 5,063,237) found in 925,506 articles that were published in CSSCI journals during the 1998–2009 period. The findings unveil that web citations accounted for only 4.03% of the total number of citations (N = 5,063,237), and that citations of Chinese government websites constituted 6.6% of the total number of web citations (N = 204,019). The study disclosed detailed information regarding citations derived from ministries and commissions directly under the State Council websites (N = 69), government online media (N = 7), government website citation subjects (N = 21), and various types of government website information (N = 5). Although government website information has limited influence on SS&H, their impact is currently growing rapidly. In comparison with international research community, influence of government web information on Chinese social science is higher, while its influence on humanities is lower. Essentially, Chinese scholars put emphasis on citing information from authoritative central government websites or highly visible state-owned media information as supporting evidences in their articles. In general, the citation of information from Chinese government website tends to hot social issues of society. Finally, it is necessary to promote the visibility of local government websites, to develop policies and guidelines to encourage the disclosure and the diversity of data, so that there will be more citation balances between social and technological topics.     

Social media communication strategies of government agencies: Twitter use in Korea and the USA

This study examines Twitter use by the central government in Korea and the federal government in the USA by employing the webometric technique to extract their Twitter activity (basic Twitter statistics such as the numbers of followers, followings, and Tweets) and the social network analysis technique to map the relationship between their Twitter accounts and the direction of outlinks in their Tweets. The results of the initial analysis indicate some differences in Twitter strategies between the two governments. For example, Korean ministries were well connected through a dense network, engaged in collective cooperation, and retweeted common content to reinforce their collective agendas regardless of their main administrative functions, whereas US government departments were less collective and more individualistic and retweeted those messages that specifically fit the purpose of each department. In addition, the results for outlinks indicate that US government departments preferred private sources of information, whereas Korean ministries, government sources.     

Can social media increase government responsiveness? A case study of Seoul,Korea

Despite the expectation that social media use in the public sector contributes to enhancing government responsiveness to citizens, few empirical studies exist on whether social media use actually leads to more responsive public administration in practice and how social media are used by governments to build citizen-centric governance. The purpose of this study is to examine what roles are played by mayors and public officials in social media networks to increase government responsiveness. Thus, we adopt social network analysis (SNA) to the Twitter network of public services as well as carry out a case study on interactions among the mayor, local government, and citizens via Twitter in Seoul, Korea. The research findings show that the mayor of Seoul plays the most important role as a bridging hub in the Twitter network. Specifically, the mayor serves as a bridge between different clusters of citizens and public officials as well as a hub for the most connected users in the network. The mayor's role as a bridging hub in the Twitter network contributes to enhancing government responsiveness by making possible to overcome the disconnection between citizens and the local government, and information asymmetry among the mayor, public officials, and citizens.     

面向网络传播形态的公共危机信息预警模式研究

通过研究公共危机网络传播与现实危机发展的互动机理,提出将公共危机网络传播形态作为危机预警的对象,建立基于多层次网络信息挖掘、大聚合信息关联分析和“传播形态-危机情境”比对的网络信息预警模式,推动我国公共危机管理由“事件驱动”向“风险驱动”的转型。     

We shall endure: Exploring the impact of government information quality and partisanship on citizens' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Based on the information-as-coping perspective, we provided a theoretical framework to understand how the quality of government information and citizens' partisanship impact citizens' wellbeing in terms of satisfaction with life and anxiety during COVID-19. With survey data from 705 respondents in Indonesia, we found that government information quality is of vital importance in helping citizens get ready to fight the pandemic, as well as lowering their anxiety. Our results show that higher information quality leads to a higher ability to respond quickly to the crisis, as well as a reduced level of information overload. While partisanship is a significant predictor of information overload, it had no significant impact on perceived quick response ability. Quick response ability and information overload, in turn, predict anxiety and citizen's satisfaction with life.     

Can Twitter improve your health? An analysis of alcohol consumption guidelines on Twitter

This article is the first in the feature to highlight the social network site Twitter as a tool for health information and it reports on a study by Emma Hughes, who completed an MSc in information and library studies at Aberystwyth University in 2014. Emma's research investigated the quality of health information available on Twitter, in particular the information available on UK alcohol consumption guidelines. Her research suggests that users searching for this information would need certain literacy skills to interpret it correctly. However, there is no doubt that Twitter is an increasingly popular resource for information dissemination and health professionals, and organisations should be encouraged to use it frequently as a tool for sharing information. AM     

Social media adoption and resulting tactics in the U.S. federal government

In 2009, the departments in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government received the presidential marching order to “harness new technologies” in order to become more transparent, collaborative and participatory. Given this mandate, this article sets out to provide insights from qualitative interviews with social media directors to understand the factors that influence internal adoption decisions to use social media applications, such as Facebook, Twitter, or blogs. Three distinct factors influence the adoption decisions of social media directors: information about best practices in their informal network of peers, passive observations of perceived best practices in the public and private sector, and “market-driven” citizen behavior. The resulting adoption tactics include: (1) representation, (2) engagement, and (3) networking. The findings point to the need for higher degrees of formalized knowledge sharing when it comes to disruptive technology innovations such as social media use in highly bureaucratic communication environments. Recommendations based on the lessons learned are provided for practitioners and social media researchers to develop social media tactics for different organizational purposes in government.     

Understanding citizens' perception of government fiscal information through a survey experiment

State and local governments regularly disclose financial information to the public so that the current financial status of the government is recognized publicly. The purpose of such disclosure is to achieve accountability and inform citizens about governments' financial decisions. Despite the efforts to improve the accessibility and readability of financial information, we do not know whether and how the financial information is processed by citizens. This study investigates how citizens assess the financial condition of governments when different financial information is presented. We conduct an online survey experiment to understand how disclosed financial information shapes citizens' perceived level of a government's fiscal stress and their attitudes toward governments' revenue-raising strategies. We find that citizens prioritize the financial indicators that they are familiar with, such as debt and surplus ratios. While both historical and social reference points play an important role, social reference is more effective in influencing citizens' perception. We only find limited evidence to support the relationship between citizens' perception of fiscal stress and their support toward governments' decisions to raise revenues.     

Government Digital Transformation: Understanding the Role of Government Social Media

Government social media has been integrated as part of the government administrative tools to improve public service and promote public goals. However, the current government information literature is limited to understanding government social media adoption and its purpose for political marketing. The present study seeks to understand the role of government social media in promoting government digital initiatives (i.e., government-backed digital currency). The study validated the inter-relationships between government social media effort, privacy concerns, trust in technology, reachability, and citizens' participation in government-initiated digital innovations. A total of 505 responses from Chinese citizens were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire survey, and the data was submitted to a two-stage Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling-Artificial Neural Network analysis. The analytic results revealed that privacy concerns, trust in technology, and reachability positively influence digital participation. In addition, the information quality and perception of trust in government social media have significant positive influences on government social media engagement. The study provides strategic practical suggestions to government agencies in effectively utilizing social media as a communication platform to foster citizens' participation in government's digital initiatives.     

Influential Players in Twitter Networks of Libraries at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

This study presents an analysis of Twitter networks from academic libraries housed in medium-sized, primarily undergraduate universities. Previous investigations on this topic have used networks of followers, i.e. attention, to show that accounts associated with a library's home institution are the prime influencers in library Twitter networks. That is, they are in key positions to disseminate library-related information. The library itself was found to be positioned to contribute to the institution-wide conversation as well. Networks of followers, however, are susceptible to unwanted influence from inactive users. The present study utilizes networks constructed from tweeting behavior to identify influencers. These networks are, thus, insensitive to inactive followers. The results are compared to those of the previously published follower networks. The behavior networks are significantly smaller and contain far fewer interactions than the follower networks; however, institutional accounts are found to be the principal influencers in these networks as well. Additionally, the social network analysis allows for the quantification of relationship strengths. The closest relationships are between library/institutional and library/student accounts. The former demonstrates that the libraries are active participants in the university-wide exchanges on Twitter and the institutional accounts often include the libraries in their messages.     

Effects of perceived online–offline integration and internet censorship on mobile government microblogging service continuance: A gratification perspective

The success of government social media relies on citizens' continual usage. Through the theoretical lens of the Uses & Gratifications theory, we develop a research model for mobile government microblogging services (GMS) continuance intention, in which citizens' perceived integration of online and offline social lives and internet censorship are incorporated. Based on data from 629 mobile GMS users in China, the results of the structural equation modeling analysis show that perceived online–offline integration has a significant and positive effect on the three dimensions of gratification: content gratification, social gratification, and process gratification, which jointly influence mobile GMS continuance. Citizens' perceived internet censorship negatively affects their mobile GMS continuance. These results might provide understanding about the unique aspects of government social media, especially in the context of internet censorship.     

网络时代政府信息影响力作用机理研究

指出网络时代政府信息影响力问题变得越来越重要。网络时代给政府信息影响力带来了新的机遇,提出了新的要求,必须在网络空间范围内重新审视政府,发挥政府的效力。分析政府信息影响力的网络空间,揭示政府信息影响力的机制。同时指明未来在政府信息影响力方面需要重点关注的问题和方向。     

Responsive E-government in China: A way of gaining public support

A growing body of research suggests that officials in China are highly responsive to citizens' requests on e-government platforms. However, our understanding of the effects of such responsiveness in China remains limited due to the lack of research from a citizen perspective. By conducting two online survey experiments involving 205 residents of Hubei Province, China, we examined the features of government responses in the e-government context that affect citizens' perceptions of government performance. The findings show that even a delayed and unhelpful response can have a positive impact on citizens' satisfaction with the government. This effect is mediated by the level of perceived government responsiveness. Moreover, citizens are affected more by the usefulness than by the timeliness of the government's responses. These results suggest that by combining the broad implementation of e-government with a higher response quality, the Chinese government can establish a new means of gaining public support.     

Towards cyberactivism 2.0? Understanding the use of social media and other information technologies for political activism and social movements

Information technologies are increasingly important for political and social activism. In particular, web 2.0 tools and social media applications have recently played a significant role in influencing government decision making and shaping the relationships between governments, citizens, politicians, and other social actors. After the Arab Spring and the uprisings that have led to significant political changes in Egypt, Tunisia, and Iran, commentators argue that information technologies have the potential to strengthen social movements and ultimately transform society. However, this influence is not new. There were movements in the 90s, using the new technologies of e-mail and websites, which were able to gather significant social attention and generate political pressure. Based on three Mexican social and political movements that span close to 20 years, this article identifies key similarities and differences in the use of information technologies and proposes a framework to understand the evolution of cyberactivism. Initially, activists used information technologies to promote a movement's main ideas and gain global support. More recently, a single tool or application, such as Twitter, has been the technological basis for certain social and political movements. However, there is a trend towards a more integrated use of social media tools and applications, generating what could be called cyberactivism 2.0. In addition, there are some distinguishable stages in the development of social protests using information technologies; this evolutionary model seems to be useful to understand very different social and political movements using very different levels of technological sophistication.     

图书馆开展媒体舆情信息服务的实践与思考——以广州大学图书馆为例

图书馆为地方政府提供的媒体舆情信息服务主要包括舆情监测及预警、舆情信息提供、舆情信息保障、舆情信息跟踪、舆情分析、决策参考等服务.在目前服务的基础上,要注意引入互联网信息搜索技术,加强对网络舆情的收集和分析;打破舆情分析选题的地域局限性,在做好被动服务的同时,应开辟主动服务的新途径.     

Routinizing a New Technology in the Newsroom: Twitter as a News Source in Mainstream Media

This study examined how news organizations employed Twitter as a news source, based on information subsidy and gatekeeping perspectives. News content analysis from 7 major media entities in 2010–2011 demonstrated that journalists embraced Twitter as a new channel for information gathering. TV frequently cited Twitter as a sole or a primary source. However, despite active usage of Twitter overall, journalists in both TV and newspapers maintained conventional routines by relying primarily on Twitter accounts of official sources. The popularity of Twitter accounts, as indicated by the number of followers, did not contribute to attracting more attention from journalists.     

What makes local governments' online communications successful? Insights from a multi-method analysis of Facebook

Little is known about how public sector organisations capitalise on the potential of social networking sites (SNSs) as communication channels. Previous research is short on theoretical models and managerial insights into the success of local governments' online communication strategies. The purpose of this study is to explore how successfully local governments utilise SNSs for managing their external communication with citizens. Using a multi-method analysis of 15,941 posts and 19,290 comments on the Facebook pages of the 25 largest German cities, we make five contributions to research and practice. First, we analyse the properties and topics of government posts to draw a rich picture of how local governments use Facebook as a communications channel. Second, we conceptualise success in governments' online communications in terms of the frequency and polarity of citizens' reactions, which we use for third, evaluating government communication behaviour in SNSs. Fourth, we identify which benefits SNSs offer that traditional communication channels do not provide. Fifth, we offer guidelines for improving the online communication strategies of local governments using SNSs.