How Social Media is Changing Public Administration [Infographic]
Social media is becoming a significant platform for both civic and political discussions and debates. To lend a little perspective, over 65% of adults use social media while 48% of those adults use social media to participate in civic and political activities and affiliations.
On top of that, 43% of social media users got their information on a social or political issue that interests them through reading a post or article on a social media platform.
Keeping that in mind, the advent of social media has changed the very fabric the government uses to communicate with its citizens. From emergency alerts, employment opportunities, travel updates to crime prevention, social media has warranted an instant form of communication from A to B.
If you follow the news, you can see social media’s profound impact on society every day. According to a 2011 report from the University of Illinois, 85% of the 75 largest cities in the United States use either Facebook or Twitter, that’s millions of users who can have a direct impact on the fate of an issue or who can be influenced by various forms of content.
Fundamentally, the way we all absorb news has changed, newspapers and magazines are shutting down paper publications and are going all digital, all of which can view and share with hundreds of thousands of people with the push of a button. Information is power, so there has to be some form of accountability, right? To ensure misinformation and “Fake News” isn’t spread, the Obama Administration pushed forth a digital government strategy in 2012.
The strategy is based on four principles. The first is Sharing which bolsters communication and workflow across departments. The second is focusing on information that can be easily shared with the public. The third is the implementation of security and privacy standards to ensure all information is as safe and secure as it can be. Lastly, focusing on the customer/citizen and delivering information as quickly and accurately to them as possible.
Most government social media teams respond to about 9% of messages within the first 10 hours, much quicker than letters and phone calls to the government.
To put it lightly, times are changing faster than we realize. The days of snail mail and few sources of information are long gone. Social media has opened channels between citizen and government-wide open and information has never been easier to obtain.
To learn more about how social media is changing public administration, check out the infographic below created by Rutgers University’s Master of Public Administration degree program.
About the Author
Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.
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