SOCIAL MEDIA: A TOOL FOR CITIZENS’ ENGAGEMENT AND E-PARTICIPATION IN BUCHAREST
SOCIAL MEDIA: A TOOL FOR CITIZENS’ ENGAGEMENT AND E-PARTICIPATION IN BUCHAREST

Summary/Abstract: With the proliferation of information and communication technologies, have found significant potential for transformation of their public participation and the way they interact with the government. Concepts like e-participation and e-government became fruitful areas of practice, policy making and theoretical explorations. The objective of this exploratory research is to inquire into how social media was employed by Bucharest municipality for communication and citizens engagement, and how it consequently shapes e-participation. The methodology employed content analysis of the Bucharest City Hall (Primăria Municipiului București - PMB) Facebook page (posts and their comments sections) in the months of May and June 2023. The content analysis used a citizens’ engagement index adapted for this research from the works of previous scholars to explore metrics such as popularity, commitment and virality. The type of content and media employed in social media (SM) posts were also analysed, as well as the PMB’s tactics and strategies of communication towards citizens. One of the key findings indicated a one-way communication from the municipality towards citizens. The commitment metrics showed that, when it comes to a more intense e-participation (eg. comments), citizens have low engagement with social media content of PMB. However, when they do engage in this type of participation, they do it from a rather adversarial type of participation. In respect to the types of content used on the PMB’s Facebook page, the paper concluded that the most often distributed ones were: cultural activities & sports and public works & town planning. The most widely posted type of media on the Facebook page of PMB were photos.

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